Better Than Perfect (On Hold)

5// A Funeral & Late Bell & Midlife Crisis

+N+A+T+A+S+H+A+

When our coach emphasized recovery, he meant an ice bath or stretching. No one said anything about a funeral . . .

for a turtle.

I loved my family, but everyone saw it coming. Not a single person warned me. Haley was saved by circumstance. Audra had to meet a teacher for coffee. Blair had college things to do. Just like me, Kaylie had no way out. And Evie? Evie was the cause of this mess.

"Jerry, you were such a loyal buddy," the ninth grader sniffled. She held the open shoebox, staring sadly into it.

Kaylie rolled her eyes, impatiently holding both their backpacks. "He only came to you for food. He's a turtle."

"Shut up, murderer," Evie grumbled.

"Hey, hey." I tried to intervene.

The sixteen-year-old scowled. "How was I supposed to know it would die?"

Evie shoved the box in her face. Kaylie moved away, pushing against it. "You left him in a bucket!" Ev snarled.

"Let the poor turtle rest in peace," I said, cringing as the turtle corpse slid in the box.

Kaylie glanced at her phone. "We're gonna be late."

"Jerry was early," Evie mumbled.

I motioned to the hole we had dug. "It's not fair to make Jerry wait."

She pet his shell. "Don't you think he'll be more at peace in my room? Isn't that the whole point of rest in peace?"

Kaylie put her hands on her hips. "Your room is also my room and that is not happening."

I patted the fourteen-year-old's back. "Jerry will be better off out here."

She reluctantly closed the shoebox and set it in the hole. She grabbed the shovel and filled it in. A ring of rocks was already placed around it.

"Alright. You guys ready to leave?" I asked, hoping my tone was urgent enough.

Kaylie scoffed, "You thought."

I turned to Evie, fearing her next words.

She shrugged. "Yeah, we can go."

I blinked. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "We already had the viewing, the funeral, and the burial."

I almost smiled. After a long morning of staring at a turtle corpse, listening to Evie play "The Scientist" on Rock Band, and burying the animal, we were finally done.

"Wait!" She put her hands out to stop us. "I forgot the moment of silence!"

"Dear Lord," I murmured to myself.

We finally got out of the house and to school. By the time I pulled up, the outside of the building was quiet. "I can't believe I'm late," Kaylie said while getting out.

I smirked. "Since when do you care?"

She rolled her eyes. "Since it wasn't my fault." She shouldered her backpack and walked into the building.