My Best Friend's Funeral

CHAPTER 30

        I paced up and down the room. Brittany’s revelation made way for so many theories and possibilities. At this point anyone could’ve murdered Jake. Why couldn’t that idiot snatch off the mask or kick, hit, punch the killer? At least that would’ve left a bruise and it would be easier to identify who it was. I thought solving a murder would be fun. It isn’t. It’s stressful. I have theories but no leads. What am I supposed to do? I groaned. “Stop groaning Cheryl” Jake said calmly. “I told you, you don’t have to do this. Call it off” “What did you just say?” I asked, standing up. We were sitting in Brittany’s room eating the sandwiches Jenny made. They were good. But I could barely get one down my throat. I was so lost in thought. How much time did I even have? Soon after the funeral, I will have to leave, Grace will make me leave.  I closed my fist tightly, nostrils flaring, face burning with rage (I could see my reflection in a mirror across the room) and pointed a finger at Jake “Call it off? What the hell do you even mean by that? I have been trying to get answers, now that I have, you are telling me to call it off? I would kill you if you weren’t already dead. This is not going to be some unsolved mystery. I will solve it” at this point Paul cleared his throat loudly. “We” I began again “will solve it, unmask your murderer, put your soul to rest and return back to New York. If that’s not okay with you..I don’t care” “I don’t want you getting tensed over nothing” he said causally. That was my boiling point. I launched towards him, my fist swinging almost reaching his face but Paul held my hand and pulled me away from where he assumed Jake was sitting. Jake was bewildered. He didn’t moved an inch until Paul pinned my hands against the door and told me to behave. “Were you really going to hit me?” Jake asked recovering. “Yes!” I glowered at him. “How dare you” he said and marched towards me in anger. “Payback!” he shouted. Noticing my eyes widen in shock, Paul stepped in front of me asn yelled at the top of his voice “Stop it! Both of you”. Jake recoiled and stood silently before me. “Jake, where is he?” Paul asked letting go my hands. I pointed to the bed. “Stay where you are” he ordered looking at me and then at the bed. “Jake, I obviously can’t see you but dude, this is your murder we are trying to get to the bottom of. What makes you even think Cheryl will just let go?” he said with hand movements. “Cheryl, he is worried that you are going to lose it and you did” Paul said hitting me on the head. “You two need to stop fighting and start putting the pieces together. We have until tomorrow morning only. You know why Grace requested us to be up here, your sister with us? So that we could finish packing ASAP and leave soon after the funeral”  Paul stopped talking and folded his hands across his chest. “You go first Cheryl” I knew what Paul was telling me to do and so I stepped forward and said in my sweetest tone “I'm sorry for trying to hit you Jake” “me too” he said immediately. “Cheryl did Jake apologize?” Paul asked narrowing his eyes towards the invisible Jake. “He didn’t say the word P” “Jake, come on man” “fine. I'm sorry Cheryl” “done” I said and flashed Paul a smile. “Good kids” he said and patted me on the back.

“I heard yelling” a girly voice said, we all turned around and found Brittany peeking inside her own room. If it was me, I would’ve just walked in. This girl is weird. “It wasn’t us” I said quickly. “ I know what I heard” she said strolling in. “You must’ve misheard Britt” Paul said and shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “Yeah, maybe that’s what happened” “I spoke in English or Hebrew?” I asked narrowing my eyebrows. “What?” three of them asked in unison. “Because Britt didn’t seem to get it the first time I said ‘it wasn’t us’ which also meant she must’ve misheard”   Paul and Jake stifled a laugh but Brittany got the sarcasm in my voice and tossed her hair. Facing  Paul, she began saying “It’s getting pretty dark, let me show you your room. Cheryl can sleep with me here” “isn’t she an angel?” Paul said admiringly. “Ooh, yeah. A dumb one” I whispered. “Is he hitting on my sister?” I shot Jake a ‘you and defensive=big joke’ look.  “I'll get changed” I announced opening my suitcase. “So..who broke the news to ya?” Jake asked sitting crossed legged on the ground. I stood up and shrieked! “What?” he asked , worried.  “You sat down” I gasped. “What a new thing right? Tell me about it” he scoffed. “You sat down in a , I'm guessing…” I said touching the fabric. “Stop touching me so slowly! It feels weird” Jake said pushing my hands away. “Kiton” “so?” he asked. “Kiton is one the most expensive suits in the world” I was trying my best to control my anger. “MY SUIT!” “idiot” I muttered. “Freak!” he said and began to laugh. “Back to my question” he said snapping his fingers in front of my eyes. “Right. William. He told me” “isn’t it like a two hour drive from New York to the Hamptons? Why would you pack so much?” “in sadness I packed anything I touched” I explained. We peeped into my suitcase, while I looked for something casual to wear. Now that my funeral dress was already used, I was wondering what I'm supposed to wear tomorrow. I frowned. “What?” Jake asked. “Um..nothing important” I said shaking my head. There were more important things to worry about. Focus Cheryl I scolded myself. Time was passing so quickly. It was late evening when Jenny entered the room and sat next to me on the bed. It took to her two minutes before she asked “prepared?” “sorry?” I asked utterly confused. “The speech sweetie. You were supposed to write it” “Oh my god!” I said and slapped my forehead. Ow! That was too hard. “Don’t be so hard on yourself Cheryl. You won’t mess this up. It’s not gonna be prom all over again” he said and placed his hand on my shoulder. I smiled at him then suddenly realizing Jenny was beside me I turned to her and said “It will be ready soon” “okay. Good luck” she said and walked out.

Twisting, turning, staring at the ceiling- this is what had been going on for hours now. Jake had planned to sit at the foot of the bed Brittany and I were sharing but I warned not because I could touch which meant I could kick him too. He dropped the idea but said that if I needed him, he would be just a call away. All I had to do was call out to him. Since evening he’s been less sarcastic, hardly any nasty comments, no taunts. Maybe it was a side effect of death. After all he was going to be buried tomorrow. I turned on my stomach this time, burying my head in the pillow. The king size bed was soft. The sheets white as snow and the mattress so soft. It was amazing. On any regular, I would sleep to the sound of Ed Sheeran on my phone. But today was no regular day. I switched on my phone and stared at the clock. It said 11:30 p.m. “That’s it” I said lifting the sheets. Brittany was kind enough to lend me a long tee-shirt for a night suit. I pulled on my jeans under the long tee and walked towards the door. I turned around and glanced at Brittany, she was in deep sleep. Good. At least I'll get to stroll around the house, alone. Peacefully. I opened the creaking door as quietly and slowly as possible and shut it behind me once I was out. “What the-“ I jumped staring at the old man in the portrait. “I never saw here before” I said to him. “Please help me get to the bottom of this” I pleaded and then continued walking. I walked down the stairs quickly. I realized walking slowly was causing more creaking and more noise and loss of time. When I reached the main room, I looked around. The small lamps were dim but the room was bright enough to see. The door was closed and latched. The chairs were vacant, so was the sofa set. I craned my neck looking at the coffin. I never got a chance to talk to Jake. You know, at funerals a person looks at the deceased and says a few words. Cautiously I lifted a chair and placed right near the closed coffin. “Jake” I began after taking a long breath. “If you are around, don’t talk. I want this to be perfectly normal” I looked around. He wasn’t there. Maybe he was wandering around the house. “Well, I didn’t prepare a speech you know. It’s funny how we didn’t speak for three years yet here I am, in my night suit, talking to you. We both know our fight made no sense. It shouldn’t have happened at all. I was so stupid.
I'm not going to deny the fact that I'm going to miss you. You have always been the best to me. You reminded me about that embarrassing speech on prom night. But what I remember is, you telling everyone to shut up and let me speak or else you would get all their after party pictures printed in the year book except mine and yours, which would end up being the best. Mom stopped baking cookies since we stopped talking. So, till date, I'm being punished. I have never lost a friend, this close before. You know it. So this might be the least emotional goodbyes of the century but it’s all I have to say for now. Accepted?” I asked touching the coffin with one hand and wiping my teary eyes with the other. “Accepted” a voice said.