Roses ➳ Shawn Mendes [2] ✓

Chapter 14

Black.

That was the color Signe didn't like to wear many years ago, yet now it was about to change. The color black was the color of grief, of death and that was the color that best fitted the ginger. She was grieving the death of her mother - Jolene's funeral being that day - and she felt dead rather than alive. The numbness around the hole where once was her heart had started to grow bigger to the point where she felt empty, she felt nothing but that scary emptiness. Even Blake noticed there was something else to the girl, she didn't cry anymore, nor appeared to be sad, her expression was just blank as if a beautiful and well-painted canvas had all of the sudden being splashed with white paint all over it causing the canvas to go back its initial point.

She dressed a short black dress she had in her closet, a dress offered by Aksel on her eighteenth birthday last year which she had used a few times when hanging out with her friends and ex-boyfriend. Now, she was wearing that dress with good memories to stain it with the pain and sadness of a funeral. Signe had decided she was going to sing at the funeral the same song she sang to her mother as Jolene slowly left the world behind. She would only do it because her mother asked her to not quit on her dream, yet now more than ever, music meant nothing to her. It had lost the meaning it used to have. She would sing for the sake of her mother and not her own as for chasing her dream, she had made a promise and she would try to keep it. However, she wouldn't be after her dream with the same fierce strength as she would have any other time.

"Are you ready?" Blake asked as he entered her room to find the girl sitting on her bed, already dressed as she stared blankly at her hands.

"No, but it doesn't matter." She replied as she got up and walked past him without looking at him.

They both left their apartment behind and entered Blake's car - he refused to let her drive - ready to leave the safety of the familiar four walls. The blond drove to the church where the funeral ceremony would take place at, where they would say their last goodbyes. There were a lot of people Signe hadn't seen for a while such as Milly Andrews, a woman Jolene used to be close with until she moved to America after marrying with her husband Patrick, Tessa Wood, a woman Jolene used to work with until she quit her job due to cancer and many other people. Aksel and Claes were there as well, both dressed in black suits, Emil and Stella - her grandparents - had come along with Aksel too. Daniel stood at the entrance of the church thanking everyone for coming and thanking their condolences. That's when she noticed a blonde haired girl whose hair was caught in a ponytail hugging her stepfather and cleaning her tears. It's Maddie the ginger thought.

"She came!" Blake exclaimed as he parked his car on a free spot. The girl glanced at him and rose an eyebrow. "I told her yesterday about what happened."

"Oh." Was the ginger's only answer. She left the car, the attention of the people outside the church talking to each other turned to her. All their expressions softened as the girl made her way to the church steps, people flashing sad and sympathetic smiles her way telling her they were sorry. She didn't need any of it, however, instead of showing how she truly felt she smiled sadly at them as well, thanking everyone for being there.

"Oh hun, I'm so sorry!" Maddie hurried to say as she pulled her for a tight hug. Signe hugged her back, as her eyes met Daniel's blue ones. They were red and puffy from crying while the girl couldn't shed any more tears, not because she couldn't, but because her senses were so numb she couldn't understand what she was feeling inside. "Thank God I saw those messages or I would have missed this. I couldn't leave my bestie for herself."

"Blake's with me, so I'm not alone." The ginger said as she let go of the girl's grip. Maddie took a good look at her before pulling Blake for a tight hug as well.