Adopted by Gabbie Hanna

16: I Host a Funeral

Gabbie POV

"We need to tell our fans the absolute truth about tonight," I told RiceGum. "Yeah," he replied, "but no lies on either end. The complete and honest truth." "Ok," I responded, "well, goodbye." "Goodbye," he called as he got into an Uber with Jaz.
Then everything hit me from the past month. The diss track, the murderer, Beth's suicide attempt, and tonight. In seconds, I was on my knees, shaking and sobbing. It was probably the worst possible time to have an anxiety attack.
   "Is that woman ok?" I heard a police officer say. "Mom!" Beth yelled, "Mom!" She hugged me, saying, "You're ok," over and over. "Everything's gonna be ok miss," an officer said. "No," I sobbed, "I'm the worst mother in the world." "No, you're not," Beth said sternly, "you are right up there in first place, tied with my biological mother." "Really?" I asked. "Really," she answered, "I don't lie."

Beth POV

   The funeral was starting in 5 minutes, and everything was ready. The hydrangeas were in place, and the slideshow was ready to play. This was going to be a huge opportunity for me to let go of the past, focus on the present, and look to the future. "Where should I sit?" Mom asked. "Either with me, or in the back," I answered. "I'll just sit in the back then," she decided.
People started filing in. They would say that they were sorry for my loss, and then they would leave. A lot of them said cute things other than that, like, "I remember when this happened," or "I remember when you were in diapers." Then my cousins Eric and Katy, Aunt Nora, and Uncle Don came in.
"Oh my gosh, Beth!" Aunt Nora shouted, "you must be so sad!" "It's gotten better," I admitted. "Who's this?" Uncle Don asked, pointing to Mom. "Hi, I'm Gabrielle, but you can call me Gabbie," Mom responded, "I adopted her." "Oh," he said as he shook her hand.
Both of my cousins hugged me, and I hugged them back. "How are you feeling?" Eric asked, "normal?" "No," I laughed, "special. Guess you'll have to throw me in Normal Jail now." My cousins and I all laughed, then I declared, "National anthem, ready? 3...2...1!" "We're walkin' on normal, oh oh oh!" we sang in unison before bursting out laughing. "Oh no," Aunt Nora groaned, "not this game again." "Normal," I announced. "See you guys later!" Uncle Don called as they went to take their seats. "My cousins are the best," I sighed, "and so is the Normal Game."
When my grandmother came in, she gave me a big hug. "I'm so proud of you," she gushed, "you're so strong!" "Thanks Grams!" I exclaimed, "You're the best." She smiled, and walked to her seat. My grandfather did the exact same thing. He hugged me, talked to me, and then went to his seat.
When the funeral started, I was crying my eyes out. I hadn't cried about it for months, and here I was, letting it all out. Eventually, I had to go up there to speak. I was a little nervous, but I also knew that no one judges the deceased's family, so I was good. "Now for the girl left behind," the priest announced. Left behind? More like still here!
I walked up, dried my tears, and started talking. "It wasn't easy to get to where I am now. First of all, the fact that I saw it happen is pretty freaking depressing. Everything will heal is what everyone says, right? Well, that's not the case. That hole in the core of your heart will never heal, but it will become a little more bearable. Opportunities can help, like auditions. Things can help, like TV. But most importantly, people can help, like my new Mom, Gabbie. Because even when your roommate cuts your arms, things will get better. After all, things can get a little more bearable," I finished, and everyone clapped. The hole in my heart was almost bearable.

~~~

When my family was lowered into the ground, I let out a last stream of tears. This was the end of an adventure. A huge journey. A tough spot on the mountain of life. And my Lemon Meringue Pie, well, it couldn't have tasted any better. Not even the tiniest bit with the lemons I was given. No. With any lemons in the whole entire world. There was only one thing left to do. Go back to where it all started.