Goodbye Alison

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Its been a few days since Michael watched his girlfriend Alison killed herself and he is a wreck, Michael refuses to eat or speak, all he does is sleep. Since they came back from the hospital where the four of them said their final goodbyes to Alison they haven't be separated for anything, they take turns sleeping at each others houses and silently keeping an eye on each other as Alison requested. Ashton tried to stay strong for the others but he remembered Alison's words and when he couldn't hold in the pain anymore he let the tears run, he let the screams escape, and he broke things and in the end Calum would rush to him and hold him as he collapsed in a pile on the floor. Calum was always crying but he always attended to Mikey first, and if he was alone for even a second he broke and sobbed as small noises escaped his throat, but the moment someone else showed up he collected himself and pretended that he wasn't in all the pain. Luke hadn't said much since the hospital, mostly small things such as, "My mom made food" or mumbling in his sleep, the only word that was clear was 'angel', what he called Alison for years.


For the past three days they all had been in Luke's room in the basement of the large house, Liz would occasionally go down to check on them all, clean up all the tissues in the floor and bring down another four boxes, one for each boy, and bring down food that she had to force them to eat before they all went back to their pile of blankets, tissues, and sadness. It hurt Liz so much that the four boys she watched grow up were left in four lumps on the floor of her basement, she couldn't believe that Alison was gone, taking the life force of the boys who loved her as if she was their sister and the love of Michael's life. Liz had known Michael since he was very young and she watched him grow up into a hard shelled teen, until Alison, when she was around Michael was happy.


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Alison has been gone for a week and today is the day of her funeral, Liz wakes up early to get the boys ready and is surprised to see all four up and in the kitchen making breakfast when she came out of her bedroom. As she entered the room and made her way to a seat Luke walked up to her and wrapped his long arms around his mother, he kissed her forehead and whispered a soft "Thanks for taking care of us mom" in her ear. Tears well up in her eyes as she sits at the table and she smiles up at her youngest son, who returns to the stove to help finish the food. As Luke's father sits at the table the food is brought over to the table and they all eat in silence, with tears are in their eyes. Michael is barely nibbling on bacon, trying to keep it down, as soon as everyone finishes Liz grabs the plates and places them in the sink and tells the boys "don't worry about those, I'll get them later, you four go get ready."


The four boys slip on their suits and grab their two acoustic guitars, one bass guitar, and one cojon, not ready to sing for Alison today. They place the instruments in the back of Michael's car and slide into their seats, Michael takes a deep breath as he turns the key starting the car, as they make their way to the funeral home nobody says a word. They arrive earlier than everyone else so they can set up, Alison didn't want a piano player, she wanted her boyfriend and her best friends' band to play her out. As Luke is setting up his microphone the pastor walks up to them all, "Boys, I'm so sorry for your loss, are there any special request from you guys?"

Ashton say in an almost whisper "getting Alison to heaven is the only thing we want sir."

The pastor nods his head in understanding, "I'll try my best."


The guys tune everything up and take their seats up front with Sarah and Joe, Luke's parents sit in the row behind. Michael slips a hand in his coat pocket and pulls out the letter addressed to Alison's aunt and uncle, Sarah's eyes fill with tears as she slides the letter from her niece in her purse to be read letter. As it comes closer to time for the service to start a light blue coffin is wheeled in to the front of the podium where the pastor will stand, Michael looks of so he doesn't have to see the coffin that matches her car, that she only got in blue because it's Micheal's favorite color. The coffin is closed at the request of Alison's aunt and uncle, and it honestly makes it easier not seeing her face. The service is starting in ten minutes and the pastor is making sure everything is in place, as people come in and begin to take a seat the boys turn around and notice that a lot of people from their graduated class are here, also a few teachers, but Alison only had two living relatives and they were beside Michael.


"Hello everyone, please have a seat. I am Pastor Jim Blevins, I'd like to open the services with a prayer for dear Alison Cole's soul."

Everyone bows their head as Pastor Jim says a prayer that Alison gets into heaven and many start crying but the boys never stopped crying.

"Now Alison's boyfriend and her friends' band will play a song as requested by Alison." The Pastor says looking at the boys as they stand and take their places behind the microphones.

A broken voice comes from Michael "Hi we're 5 Seconds of Summer, and I'm Alison's boyfriend Michael Clifford, these lads here are Luke, Calum, and Ashton, her best friends and brothers. Alison meant so much to all of us and in a letter to Luke she asked us to play here today, so this one is for you baby." Michael looked at the coffin to his right and blew a kiss, his hands began to play the familiar chords to their song 'The Only Reason' and as he sang his voice cracked but he kept going for her.


The guys stayed on their stools after the song ended and the Pastor asked if anyone had anything to say about Alison, but no one really knew her they just knew her name so it stayed quiet when Luke spoke up "Alison was my best mate, and I loved her as if she were my sister and now she's gone and I don't what to do or say. I don't what to do when I'm upset and I want to call her like I always do but she can't pick up because she's gone."

Liz got up and wrapped her arms around him and laid her chin on his head as she whispered to him, "Are you okay to stay up her baby?" Luke just nodded his head and she went back to her seat in the pews.

Calum spoke up next "Alison was also my mate, she was just one of the lads and we all protected her, but we couldn't protect her from herself, I wish I wasn't sitting here saying goodbye to her."

Michael tried to speak but nothing came out so Ashton took over, "Alison always told me that I'm the older brother every girl should have, and I can tell you I loved her as much as I love my own sister Lauren and my brother Harry, and Mikey here loved her more than anything, in fact the night we lost her he was going to propose to her. Ali never got to be a fiancee, a wife, a mother, a grandma, Ali never got to do a lot but one thing she did is change the life of four outcast Aussie's and we will never forget her."


After Ashton spoke everyone was crying, even the Pastor. The rest of the funeral was the boys playing as everyone made their rounds to the coffin, before too long it was time to go to the burial spot, Alison was being laid to rest beside her parents. Once the arrived Luke and Michael played 'Amazing Grace' and everyone sang along, as the coffin was lowered into the ground the sky broke loose and it poured the rain. After the coffin was all the way in the hole everyone began to leave and the boys were the last to go, they decided to go back to Luke's house and before long they were pulling up to Luke's house, they all got out and got the instruments and went to the basement where they changed back into their normal black skinny jeans and ripped band shirts and resumed being wrapped in blankets but this time they all scooted together and fell asleep in one big mess of blankets.

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