Today was Max's funeral. Lizzie and Max didn't talk much that morning, but their minds raced with scattered thoughts. Lizzie knew this could quite possibly be their last time to talk, but she found herself so caught up with thoughts, she couldn't say anything at all. As the clock ticked away in the classroom that morning, she breezed in and out of awareness, caught between her thoughts about Max and listening to the teacher spout the lesson for the day.
Finally it was time to excuse herself, and she headed to the office where Carl waited unknowingly with Max. Carl was dressed in a black suit, looking as if he was on his way to a business meeting. All that was missing was a briefcase.
"What's with the getup?" Lizzie looked him over.
"We're going to a funeral. This is the way you're supposed to dress, isn't it?"
"Oh." Lizzie suddenly felt a little self-conscious, checking her own outfit: jeans, sneakers and a plaid shirt overtop a purple T-shirt. She didn't think at all about how she should dress. She was too distracted by other thoughts.
"Don't worry," Carl said. "No one will notice."
Trying to brush it off, Lizzie switched her focus. "So, who's picking us up, then? Your mom or your dad?"
"Oh! There's our ride, right there!" Carl led them outside and waved down a red convertible that came screeching to a halt at the curb. Even with the windows up, they could feel the vibration of the Rap music.
The passenger window opened, and the music nearly blasted their eardrums. Carl ran over to the car, yelling for the driver to turn the music down, and then opened the door to get in the back seat. He waved to Lizzie. "Come, on! You can sit in the back with me, Liz!"
Lizzie cautiously approached, leaning in to get a peek at the driver.
Max followed. "Who the heck is that?" he asked.
Lizzie groaned. "You can sit in the front, Max, okay? I'm happy to sit in the back with Carl, trust me."
They entered the car while Carl was putting his seatbelt on in the back. He leaned over to Lizzie and said, "Trust me. You'll want to buckle up."
"I'll bet." She commented.
Max felt very strange getting into the front passenger seat. The last time he was in this position, of course, he died. Instinctively, he reached for the seatbelt, and was surprised to see that it actually moved when he grabbed for it. He stopped, looking at the driver to see if he noticed.
Sitting this close to the driver, he finally realized who it was – Dirk, the star football player at Steele High School. Max remembered seeing him on the field practicing football with the team.
Dirk turned around and flashed a smile at Lizzie. "Hop on up front if you want!" He yelled over the rap music.
"I'm fine back here," she nodded, leaning back in her seat. She leaned to talk in Carl's ear. "Doesn't he have classes to go to? Why is he taking us?"
"He'll do anything to get out of class," Carl said. "Besides, my parents couldn't help." He leaned forward in his seat and yelled, "You know where to go, right, Dirk?"
"I'm dropping you off at the Funeral home," Dirk answered. I got places to go though, midget, so I'll see you later."
"What?!" Carl yelled over the music while Dirk stepped on the gas, launching them away from the school, to the main road. "Wait – no! That's not how a funeral service works! First there's a service at the funeral parlor, and then we follow the hearse to the burial site. You're supposed to stay there with us for the service, and take us to the graveyard after, Dirk!"
Lizzie found herself squashed against Carl as Dirk whipped around the corner onto the main road. He hollered back to his brother in the seat behind him. "There is no freakin' way I'm staying for a funeral service, watching people cry over some dead kid!" Max leered at him. "The funeral home's walking distance to the graveyard, so just walk there after the service! It's not that far from home, so you don't need me to pick you up. I'll see you at home later, and remember our deal – no squealing to Mom and Dad!"
"Well, where the heck are you going, Dirk?" Carl asked. "You got a date with some airhead who's also skipping school today?"
"None of your business!" Dirk frowned, and turned the car into the driveway of the funeral home, stopping the car so quickly they almost got whiplash. "All right, get out!"
"Thank God," Lizzie muttered as she practically leaped from the vehicle. As she opened the door, she winced at the blast of inappropriate rap lyrics. She noticed the aghast looks of a few mourners entering the building.
Carl hurried out of the car to slam the door, muffling the noise.
Max stayed a moment in the front seat with Dirk. Reaching into the radio, he closed his eyes to focus and found the perfect music. Dirk jumped in his seat, as Dolly Parton's voice bellowed a classic country song over the speakers. "What the -- !!" He muttered, messing desperately with buttons and dials, trying to get back to his favorite station. "What's wrong with this thing?!"
Max exited the car, grinning at Lizzie from ear to ear. "That'll teach him!" He said, proudly.
YOU ARE READING
Somewhere In-Between ~ An Adventure in the Afterlife
Paranormal"You're not dead, Max. Your body is dead." Max's guardian angel tells him as he is embraced in warm light. After a deadly car accident, fourteen-year-old Max Fletcher finds himself in the confusing afterlife, waiting for his kid sister who is in cr...
