Chapter 52
Jack Cook’s memorial was held in the cafetorium at our school—that is, the cafeteria/auditorium/gymnasium, and even with the folding doors open encompassing the entire space, the place was jam-packed with people so that there were people standing in the back behind the rows and rows of folding chairs. Despite the chilly December air, the doors were propped open because there were even people on the walkway outside.
My family had ridden together, though Cadence was sitting in the front with Jack’s family and her friends. My mom, dad, and I sat a few rows behind them. I had been crying most of the morning. The thought of saying goodbye to Jack for good was just too much for me, and the burden of knowing something was going on with my sister and I had no one to talk to about it was almost more than I could bear. I was glad Elliott was still around, but for the most part, all I’d gotten from him was sympathetic smiles. Now that Lucy and Emma had forgotten everything, I felt like an island in a tumultuous ocean being pounded by the waves and enduring it in solitude.
Just before the pastor of our church, Rev. Don Jones, walked up to the podium on the stage, I glanced around to see if I could find Elliott anywhere. I didn’t see him, but I did spy Hannah sitting toward the back. There were a couple of men next to her I didn’t know and a woman with short brown hair. After squinting, I realized one of the men was Jamie. I hoped he didn’t notice me looking at all, especially when my eyes widened. I wondered if the man with dark blond hair next to him was just a random guy or another of my sister’s associates, but I had a feeling I knew who he was. I turned back around and tried to tune into the reverend’s message. I needed to focus on Jack right now.
The service was lovely. They showed a slideshow with all kinds of pictures of Jack with his friends, playing baseball, hanging out with his parents. There was even one of him and me when I was younger and he and Cadence had gone trick-or-treating with me. That one had the tears rolling down my cheeks again. Ironically, he had been dressed like a vampire.
Cadence gave a speech, and it was beautiful. She also had me crying. I hoped that Hannah was able to use her good vibes to make my sister feel calm while she was up there since I know how much she hates talking in front of large groups. I prayed she’d never have to give a remembrance at another funeral again for the rest of her life.
When she was almost done, a strange look flickered across her face. It was only there for a moment, and I doubted anyone else even noticed it, but I could tell something was wrong. She regained her composure and continued on. I wanted to look over my shoulder to see what was happening in the back of the room where she’d been staring when her countenance had changed but didn’t risk it.
The service ended with a song and a prayer, and then the reverend invited us all to join him out on the baseball field where Jack’s family would be sprinkling some of his ashes on the pitcher’s mound. It seemed like a touching memorial for the pitcher who held all of our high school’s records.
My sister was walking along with her old friends as lots of people came up to greet her. She came over and spoke to us momentarily and then headed toward the back. Every time she tried to walk forward, someone would stop to hug her, so we ended up making it outside ahead of her.
The cold December air was welcoming as it dried the tears on my cheeks. We were a few steps outside the door when we saw Aaron coming toward us, and I imagined he was headed for my sister. He greeted my parents and hugged my mom briefly, smiling down at me, and I sort of pretended like I didn’t know him. I really didn’t, after all, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. I was an afterthought to him, I imagined, anyway. He seemed like something was bothering him, and I was under the impression he needed to get to Cadence.
We walked on, my parents stopping occasionally to say a word or two to others who were making their way to the baseball field. The ground was a little slick as there was a fresh layer of snow over frozen ice, and my dad had both Mom and me by the arm so we wouldn’t slip in our dress shoes.
Hannah’s warm smile greeted us as we approached. Part of me wanted to hate her for what she’d done to my friends, but I also understood that it was her job, that she’d likely been ordered to do it.
A wave of self-consciousness washed over me as I realized we were walking over to them. There were people in this group I knew way too much about for having never met them. I dropped my eyes and squeezed my dad’s arm, hopeful that I wouldn’t have to say much. Hannah went through introducing us to all of them, and it seemed like my parents either knew some of them or had at least heard of them. I smiled but didn’t offer my hand to anyone, even though part of me wanted to know if they would be cold to the touch like Jack or warm like Elliott, who wasn’t with them.
Jamie looked slightly different than his pictures, but it was definitely the same man. He smiled warmly at me, and I felt like I would like him, if I could get over the fact that he was over a century old. Eliza looked perturbed, like she didn’t really want to be there. She nodded at me and offered a small smile. Meagan—whose name is pronounced like Me-gan—seemed nice enough. She had shoulder-length brown hair and looked a little frightened herself, like she was new to all of this or something. Christian’s eyes made me uneasy. He was also attractive, though not to the level of Aaron or Eliza, but something about the way he looked at me made me want to step behind my dad. I didn’t trust him.
Luckily, we only stood there for a few minutes before my parents moved away. My mom saw Sidney’s parents, and we went to talk to them. I wanted to pull my phone out and see where Elliott was but thought that would be rude. I glanced behind us, back toward the school, and saw my sister finally walking over. She was with her old friends and Aaron, and I wondered what the others would think of her new boss. From here, it seemed like Sidney and Taylor were having trouble keeping their eyes off of him, and I guess I couldn’t blame them.
As I was gazing at my sister, I noticed some movement on top of the school roof in my peripheral vision and looked up to see Elliott for just a split second before he disappeared behind one of the air conditioning units. I was sure it was him, and in fact, I thought perhaps he wanted me to see him. I instantly felt relief, though I wasn’t sure why. It was like a safety net had been cast over us. Despite not knowing what it was that had me frightened, I was glad he was up there.
My toes were frozen by the time Alice and Steve finally made it to the baseball diamond. I wasn’t complaining, though. I couldn’t blame them for needing a few moments. They tossed some ashes, there was another prayer, and then we all slowly started to head to our vehicles.
