His Fake Girlfriend

Chapter 16- The Stories We Tell

His Fake Girlfriend

Chapter 16- The Stories We Tell

*Sky’s POV*

 

I sat in the faded yellow taxi cab, staring up at the iron gate in front of us. I blink a few times, looking around as I made the connection that this was a cemetery. Thousands of people buried here that people came to visit. The same aura of the grave yard reminded me from back home when I visited my mother. Dark, gloomy, peaceful, lonely and barren. But so far there was no sign of Jeremy, not even an indication that he was here.

Sure I do know, by putting two and two together that Jeremy’s father is dead and this must be where he’s buried. Then again, he would have told me if today is his anniversary, right? Why wouldn’t he? What would his reason be? It could explain a lot. Why no one back at the house was chatty, why Jill brought Josh to soccer practice. Jeremy has been here the whole day.

 “This is McClam's?" I asked the taxi man driver as he parked on the side of the road.

“Yes ma'am. No other McClam's around here that I know of." He confirmed. I looked up at the big iron gate reading the golden cursive words of McClam’s written across the top.

I thanked the man handing him some bills as I got out. I swallowed down the bile in my throat as I felt my tears prick. Just like when I visited my mother back home; funerals just brought up a sickening feeling in me. I looked around the many acres of land, grave stones in different sizes, shapes, and colors all around but only one had a boy sitting in front of one.

He sat alone, legs crossed like a pretzel in front of the bone white grave stone. Some of the other graves around had color due to the flowers people placed. Jer didn’t see me coming, he probably assumed he was the only one around the lot. But I’m here, I’m here for him if he needs it. Because I know how it feels, something you don’t want company. You don’t want to feel alone.

I slowly walk to where he sat. I placed my hand on his shoulder, startling him a bit. His breath picked up slightly until he turned around and saw me standing behind him, staring at the grave stone in front of him:

Mark Coleman

March 21, 1969- April 16, 2010

Loving father, husband, son, and friend

Jeremy turned back around facing the grave stone with blood shot eyes. I never saw him like this before. The big arrogant bad boy front came down and replaced with this soft hearted wounded boy. I knelt down beside him admiring the flowers that looked fresh picked, then it clicked officially in my mind. Today is April 16. I bit my bottom lip holding back the sad tears in my eyes that empathized with him.

“You shouldn't have come." Jeremy spoke rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands.

“I was getting worried." I told him honestly. Watching him carefully as he stared at the grave stone in front of him.

“Who told you?" He asked.

“Your sisters." I replied, "Julia to be more precise."

He nodded his head once not ever turning his gaze to me. I sat next to him, criss crossing my legs in front of me giving him company. Sometimes when I visited my mom I wanted company. Someone that would just hold me when my world felt like it was falling apart or crumbling down. When memories came flooding back, when what ifs consumed my brain. Sometimes I just wanted that one person to hug just to keep me together. To squeeze all of my emotion into.