After Hours

Chapter 35.

Eva's POV.

   It's been several hours since Cameron sent me back home. Telling my parents that Vanessa wasn't coming back was the hardest thing I think I have ever done. The look of horror and pain on their face was enough to make me cry for days. 

   Here I sit, now, alone in the room I used to share with Vanessa. I make her bed neatly sit a picture of her on the pillow. My dog, Sunny, seems to know that she's not coming back. He's sat on her bed almost all day with a sad look on his face. If dogs make sad faces that is.

  "I'm sorry, Sunny," I whisper to her. "I miss her too."

   My parents said that there has to be a funeral, but I can't bring myself to go to it. I would be a mess and just make things worse. Apparently my parents are talking about it now. I slip out of my room and creep down the steps, careful to miss the third step. That one creeks something awful. I peek over the railing and see my mom with her face in her hands. My father has a hand on his forehead and his eyes closed. To be honest, they haven't payed much attention to me since I got home. I guess they have been grieving Vanessa too much to pay attention to me. I have just enough time to go back behind the railing when my mom looks up. 

  "Eva?" she asks, tears in her voice.

   I peek my head out. "Yeah?" I ask.

  "Come here sweetie," she says, hands outstretched to me.

   I walk down the stairs and into her arms. All of us, as a family, hold onto each other. We stay in this position for several minutes before my mother finally lets go.

  "We love you dearly," my dad says. "You remind us so much of her."

   I feel tears brim into my eyes and don't bother to stop them. "But we need to get through this as a family and we don't want you to feel like you don't matter cause we're grieving Vanessa," my mom adds.

  "I would never," I say, hugging her.

   I smile to myself in my bed tonight. Yes, I miss Vanessa. A whole lot. But she can't come back and she wouldn't want us mourning her for too long. She would want us to have a big party and invite all of her friends cause we know she's in a better place.

  "I love you V," I whisper, snuggle Sunny close to me, roll over, and fall into a dream filled sleep.

   Happily ever after.

Grayson's POV.

   It's been two days since I've been home and I couldn't be happier. Or sadder. Not a second goes by that I don't think of Ember. I can't imagine what she's going through and I don't want to think about it. I have a picture of us as the wallpaper on my phone. I haven't told my dad about her and I think he's forgotten about the first night I got home from Disneyland and she texted me. He was funny about it when I told him she was a girl. But it seems he has forgotten. I want Disneyland to be closed forever. No one should have to go through all of that. Cameron is a horrible person and my beautiful friend is down there, having to do God knows what.

   I get up from my bed and open my curtains. I let the light shine in. Tiger seems to know I'm sad so he nudges my leg. I know what that means.

  "Wanna go for a walk, buddy?" I ask.

   He barks and runs downstairs. I smile and grab his leash and collar. I call to my dad and tell him I'm going for a walk and head out the door. It seems so much longer than little over a week that I was gone. The sun feels warm on my face and Tiger is happy to be outside. I walk as slow as Tiger will let me, eyes focused on Ember on my phone. We walk for about an hour then head home. My dad greets me with a hug and I go back up to my room to put Tiger's things away.