*****************************************
I bless the day I met you
And I thank God that he let you
Lay beside me for a moment that lives on
And the good news is
I'm better for the time we spent together
And the bad news is
You're gone (Diamond Rio - You're Gone)
*****************************************
~*The Next Morning*~
I woke up with a start, knowing there was something awful I had to do that day, but, in my
sleepy haze, not quite sure what. I sat up and realized Nick was sleeping on the floor
next to my bed. *Why is he there?* I wondered. *He hasn't done that before.* I shook him
awake.
"Hey Frack! Why are ya invading my room?" I asked him playfully.
"The house just seems so...empty," he replied, looking at me with sad eyes.
"Why don't you go beat Brian's ass at Mario Kart? That always ends up being pretty
loud."
His head snapped up to look at me; his eyes registered hurt, shock, and confusion. He
waved his hand in front of my face.
"Earth to Becca, anyone there? Brian's dead. I can never play Mario Kart with him,
talk to him...." he trailed off as he dissolved into tears.
It hit me like a ton of bricks; a crushing weight on my chest. My heart felt like it was
breaking into a million tiny pieces as I suddenly remembered the awful thing I had to do
today: go to Brian's funeral.
"Oh Nicky, I'm sorry, I'm so tired and I totally forgot, I don't know how, I'm so
sorry," I rambled.
He put his finger on my lips to quiet me and kissed my cheek.
"Shhh, it's ok," he murmured, standing up and hugging me. "It's me who
should be sorry. I didn't mean to make you remember that way. I thought you were trying to
play a joke on me. For a minute I thought...well, I thought Brian was still alive."
"Why would I do something like that?" I asked him. "You know me better than
that."
"I...I don't know," he said, looking away.
"Well, we'd better get going. It's gonna be a long day," I sighed with a
heavy heart.
