Behind her, her future lay crushed-literally and figuratively-in a mahogany box. She forced bottles of water on them as well, and made sure they were at least choking down enough food to sustain them.īut as much as Tia didn’t want to confront the looks of pity and well-intentioned but empty words of sympathy, she couldn’t turn around. She now sat with a box of tissues, dabbing often at her own eyes, but also making sure that the five of them had a constant fresh supply. Tia would have been more than willing to pull the shades on the world and never leave her bed, but Lexi forced her to go through the motions.
It was Lexi who’d run Tia a bath this morning, and who’d brushed out her tangled mass of dark hair while she sat unknowing, uncaring. She’d been Tia’s constant best friend since their awkward teen years, and had been the glue for Tia this past week-it was Lexi who’d stayed at her house and gotten her out of bed each morning, forcing coffee and cereal into her and making her get dressed as if she were a normal person. Directly in front of her, on the couch that sagged sadly from the constant weight of despair, sat Lexi Summers. At her left, Paddy and Siobhan, whom she’d called Mom and Dad for the past five years, tried bravely to maintain a stoic dignity. Her mom reassured her every few minutes with a slight touch, a soft pat on the back, or a supportive hand under her elbow. They forced tight smiles for each mourner, and responded to their condolences when it was all Tia could do to nod her head in acknowledgement. On her right stood her parents, doing their best to hold everyone together and keep the parade of people moving. They wanted to comfort her, she knew, but there was nothing they could possibly do or say that would bring her the slightest bit of relief from the hell into which she’d been thrust. The vast majority were familiar, but the expressions they wore twisted and contorted their faces into alien landscapes that made her want to turn away and avoid all contact.
Tia Hastings stared blankly at the sea of faces that swam in and out of focus before her. For Brian, who may never know how much he inspires me…
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