The Time of My Life [Completed]

Chapter 16: The Time at the Funeral

He's gone.

I fell asleep in the waiting room. I woke up to one long beep on Roan's monitor.

I can't believe it. He can't be gone.

Maybe he's just..... playing a prank. Yeah, that's it. He's just pranking us. For all I know they're all in on it.

All I know is that Roan is not gone. He can't be.

~•~

Sunday, August 27, 2017

School starts tomorrow.

Roan's funeral is also tomorrow.

Just about everyone Roan has ever known lives back on Long Island, so that's where we're going. I have the first 3 days excused from school for "grieving purposes." But what is there to grieve over? It's only a joke. Roan just doesn't know the line between when a joke is funny, and when he's taken it too far.

Right now, I'm sitting on a plane to New York between Spencer and Darrell.

Dallas decided to stay home so our younger brothers could start school, while Cade came with Darrell, Orange and Spencer. Of course, the triplets all started their classes already and I couldn't expect any of them to take off college for someone else's brother's funeral. Especially when it isn't real.

And I would feel bad if I made Brock come too. It's the start of his senior year! Yeah, Darrell is a senior too. But he suggested coming along, not me.

"Jessie, this really isn't healthy. You need to accept that he's gone sooner or later." Darrell said softly from the window seat. (The window seat I called dibs on. Does nobody respect dibs anymore?)

"Except that I don't. He's not gone! Why does everyone think he's dead?! He's not."

"Jessie, look at me." I faced my head looking at Spencer. "Look me in the eyes." He grabbed my face, making sure he had my undivided attention. "Roan is dead. He's not coming back. It's not a joke."

As long as I've known Spencer, he has never lied. Ever. Like, not even a little white lie, or without meaning to. "You're serious?" I whispered. "He's really gone?"

"Well, not gone. He lives one, right in here." Darrell pointed to my heart.

"Oh cut the bullshit, Darrell!" I said a bit too loudly. "How could that bastard just leave me like this?!" I didn't even care about the fact that I was on an airplane full of other people.

Needless to say, there was a lot of cursing going on a the moment.

~•~

Monday, August 28, 2017

1:20 pm

"I'm glad you could all make it here today. Let me start by introducing myself.

"My name is Jessica Rosalyn Keene. Roan's older sister. I'm fourteen years old. I want to tell you all my story.... or, what I've got so far.

"So much has happened in the last three months or so. And I totally took Roan for granted. We used to be best friends! Then, on March seventeenth, I found out I was adopted. I got so mad at my entire family, including Roan.

"After we moved, I started to spend more and more time with my biological family. There were a lot of times when I would drag Roan with me. He loved hanging out with us. He was almost like my anchor, keeping me connected to our family.

"Eventually though, he stopped coming. I saw Roan less, and my other brothers more. My own sisters thought I didn't even live with them anymore, they saw so little of me.

"Now that he is gone, which I am finally just starting to accept as reality, I am realizing how much I've taken family for granted. I'm not saying that my biological brothers are not my family. I'm saying that I need to remember I have two families now. I am lucky enough to have so many people that care about me."

I paused.

"They say that there are five stages a person goes through while grieving. The first being denial; the second, anger. The third is Bargaining. Part of that is seeking others and telling one's story.

"He was never tested, but I can confidently say that Roan was a genius. He practically did all my homework for me. And he's three years younger than me! I just wish we got the chance to see what that kid was capable of. There's no doubt that brain of his could have changed the world.

"I'll wrap this up now. Roan lived a short life. He had plenty of friends and family that cared about him, and still do care about him, very, very much. God knows I'm gonna miss the hell out of him. But as a.... semi- wise.... boy once told me."

I pointed to my heart.

"Roan lives on. In every one who came here today. Right in here."