I'll Follow You Into The Dark {Completed/Being Edited}

Chapter 41 ...On Their Vacancy Signs...

NOBODY'S POV:

"I don't think I can do it" Craig gulped, leaning over to his side and whispering in a frantic voice into Kyle's ear. "I can't do a speech" Craig admitted, leaning forward and rubbing both of his hands together shakily. 

"Why not?" Kyle asked Craig, not looking at Craig at all but leaning down and ripping a blade of grass out of the ground and rubbing it between his fingers, creating friction until the blade of grass rubbed away. 

"Because that means I'm saying goodbye for good" Craig swallowed hard and tears brimmed his eyes. Kyle was in the process of ripping another blade of grass out of the ground but he paused in his movements, and felt tears outline his eyes and drip down his cheeks silently. 

During all of this, Shelley had stood up to the podium and took a deep breath. She shakily reached into her pocket and pulling out a piece of paper with notes on it, she ran her hand over the hand in a swift motion, un-wrinkling the paper. She cleared her throat. 

"What you need to remember..." Shelley began, trying hard not to read off the paper "Is that Stan was... he was..." Shelley scrunched up her shoulders and angrily grinded her teeth and grabbed the paper and smashed it between her fist. 

"Stan was a stupid turd" Shelley shouted, making a couple of people gasp, Shelley's hand was still clenched tightly around the sheet of paper. "But... he was my stupid turd" Shelley calmly spoke, changing her tone of voice in a matter of seconds. 

"I didn't go into that room and say good bye to my little brother" Shelley didn't cry, she stayed brave and leaned forward, leaning her weight on the podium, making it creek a little "I didn't go into that room and say good bye because..." Shelley sighed and closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, wiping a tear from her cheek. 

"Because, I was scared. Never in my whole life have I ever cried in front of my brother. Not once" Shelley admitted "I guess I was scared of showing weakness in front of baby brother" Shelley changed her stance and once again stood up straight "I guess I always felt I was older and I had to be the one to protect him. I used to beat him up because I wanted him to be able to defend himself and defend himself" 

"People are going to say that because he died..." my eyes opened wide. Kyle always admired Shelley for her bravery, Kyle still couldn't say dead and Stan in the same sentence "...he lost the fight, but in my eyes he was a soldier and he won, dead or alive" 

That was all that Shelley said, before backing down from the podium and stopping at Stan's coffin, she carefully planted a kiss on his forehead, and with her hand brushed the loose ebony curls out of his forehead. 

"I love you Stan" Shelley whispered before walking away back to her seat, Sparky waiting for her at her seat.