Everything I've Wanted (ellie the whale x fem oc)

Chapter 17- Like a mantra

The moment Eve woke up the next morning every ounce of hope she still had of Charlie being alive disappeared. There was nothing left but the feeling of an endless depression that only left a shell of who Evelyn Keaton once was. Eve tried her hardest to smile but it just felt impossible. She tried to feel excited about the trip to California she was going to be taking soon but she could only think about where she would be in a few hours.

Charlie's memorial was today. He had already been cremated, and today she was going to receive a bit of him in an urn. Eve didn't think she had the emotional strength to come face to face with the inanimate object that held her best friend, let alone bring it home with her. As per Charlie's request, each family member was receiving their own personal urn, each containing a portion of the man's ashes. Charlie had made it clear in his written requests to be cremated before the memorial, sparing his family from having to view his cold, unmoving body for hours.

Now, Eve found herself getting ready for his memorial with an unreadable expression on her face. Charlie requested that no one show up to his memorial wearing black, he wanted the event to celebrate his life to be joyous and full of laughter. Eve thought it was noble but she wouldn't be able to find any happiness when she was constantly surrounded with the reminder of who's loss brought all these people together.

She knew that this would be a challenging day to get through, but Eve also knew she had to put on a bright and happy face. Eve and her family were at the center of this memorial; they had organized everything and would be greeting and talking to many people. She had to appear composed and not so saddened by Charlie anymore. This was all about celebrating his life, not mourning his loss.

As Eve slipped into the white dress, she didn't feel like herself. This white, slim-fitted dress and simple, wavy hair were choices she had made carefully, knowing they would give the people around her the impression that she was calm and at peace. They would deceive their own minds into thinking that even though Eve was one of the people closest to Charlie, she was ready to accept that he was no longer with them and that she was on a straightforward path to letting him go.

But she was nowhere near that. Her path was winding and some paths lead her ten steps backwards, maybe even putting her at the beginning. Eve had started mapping out the way down her path to learning to live without her best friend by her side but it would take more than just this upcoming memorial.

"You look pretty, Evelyn." Eve turned around to the voice. She tried to smile at the redhead leaning on her door frame but it just seemed so hard. Everything that happened the past 8 days weighed down every part of her, especially her lips and her eyelids.

"You do too, Els." She eventually responded, her voice tired and raspy from lack of use.

The Keaton girl looked Ellie up and down, taking in her outfit. The older girl was wearing a white, slightly laced corset with a pair of white dress pants. Eve also knew the girl had a white blazer to top it all off hanging on a chair in the kitchen. Ellie was certainly using her newly gained money well.

"I was just wondering if you had any makeup I could use?" Ellie's question left room for Eve to say no without feeling guilty afterward. It was a habit the older girl always had, even before she reunited with Charlie. Ellie had suspected it came from her past hookups, especially when she hooked up with girls who were trying to experiment. The Sarsfield girl always asked if the person she was with was okay with what Ellie was doing, and she always left room for them to push her away and say they weren't comfortable going any further.

"Oh, yeah I have some right here." Eve walked over to her dresser and picked up the makeup supplies she was using earlier. "I have some other shades if these don't match you."