Finding Her Justice

I sat in front of my mirror that was connected to my oakwood dresser. My dark brown hair was straightened and left down to fall against my shoulders. I had already put on my make-up, my eye shadow was a deep black, matching the color of my knee-length dress.
It was going to be a long day, I could tell as I slowly slipped on my heels. "What's the point?" I asked myself, "I know it will just be full of people crying and talking about how great she was." I sighed and got up, grabbing my handbag off my bed.
I took one last look at my messy room, remembering every time Rissa had stayed here, then shut the door. As I walked down the stairs I noticed the house seemed larger than usual, more quiet. I paused before walking out the front door, and silently closed it behind me.
The drive seemed extremely long. Maybe because I was alone, or maybe because of the fact that I was driving to my best friends funeral... Either way my heart seemed to way two tons in my chest.
I parked as far away from the church as possible and shut off my car's engine. "Here we go," I whispered, getting out of my car. I recognized a lot of people in the parking lot as they walked towards the building.
There was Kendall, dressed in a dark purple dress, with a pink nose and red rimmed eyes. She had her hand in her boyfriend Jacob's, who seemed like he could care less to be here. Thn again he never did like Marissa, she was always getting an attitude with him. I smiled at yet another memory of her.
As soon as I walked through the church doors I ould feel the grief in the air. It hung heavily like a veil over everyone in the room. There was a big crowd, hardly enough seats for us all. More people cared about her than I thought.
I spotted Kristen on the other side of the room, standing by herself. She gave a weak smile when she saw me walking towards her.
"Hey," her voice was quiet and rugged.
"Hey," I hugged her, "how are you holding up?"
She shrugged, wiping her nose with a crumpled tissue. "I'm oaky. Could be better you know?" I nodded sadly in agreement before hugging her one last time.
I walked to the front of the room where the open casket lay. Marissa lay frozen inside, almost looking as if she was asleep. But I knew this wasn't a dream she would wake from. Her black hair laid perfectlyagainst her shoulders. She was wearing her black and white dress that had bows and swirls on it, and her feet were covered by those black flats she always wore.
I returned my gaze back to her neck, where a small piece of metal reflected little rays of light. It was half a heart with the word "friends" engraved in cursive. I took the necklace I was wearing of my neck and placed it next to hers. "Best Friends," I whispered before leaving to sit down in the second row.
The reception was long and full of people sobbing or talking about how it was such a shame that she died so young. I had zoned out til the very end, forcing myself not to cry. We followed the hearse out to the cemetery. Even the weather seemed to reflect this dreary day for the clouds were blocking out the sun.
I watched as four men lowered my best friend into the ground. It was six feet into a dark hole. A dark hole that will never allow her to see the sun again. I glanced up to read her gravestone. 'Marissa Jenn-Elice Gilliam. Loving friend, and beloved daughter.' I shook my head in disappointment.
This isn't how she would of wanted her funeral to be like. She would of wanted us to party and laugh at the memories of her that we share with eachother. She would of wanted 'See you soon!' written on her tombstone. I shook my head again before watching the guests leave. That's when I saw someone standing away from the crowd, watching me.
I squinted my eyes trying to see who it was, but I didn't recognize him from the reception. I crossed the distance between him and I, curious to find out who this stranger was. He seemed uncomfortable by my presence, fidgeting with his black shirt.
"Hi, my name's Jessica Pleva," I held out my hand to shake his, "Marissa's-"
"Best friend," he finished for me, "she talked about you a lot."
"Oh, well how did you know her?" I asked, feeling confused.
"I'm a friend. She and I met at the coffee shop down the road from where she lived. I was having car trouble so she stopped and helped me out," he shoved his hand in the pockets of his jeans.
"Sounds like her alright. She always went out of her way to help people," I gave a small smile, "but I don't recall her telling me about you. I'm pretty sure I'd remember a guy like you." I looked him over. Her was thin, but well built from the waist up. He had black hair that covered his green eyes. And he was pretty darn cute.
"Yeah Rissa and I didn't talk much or hang out. We only saw eachother every so often," he avoided my stare.
"What did you just call her?" I asked.
"Rissa? Isn't that her nickname?" He seemed confused.
"Yeah, but only I call her that.." I looked at him more closely, trying to meet his eyes.
"Oh well I guess I just overheard you calling her that or something. My mistake," he shrugged, "but hey I gotta go. I've already stayed longer than I needed to." He turned and started to walk off.
"Wait, I didn't catch your name!" I yelled after him.
"It's Jake. Jake Witthers," he called over his shoulder.
I watched him leave til he disappeared into the woods. 'I'm not sure I like this guy... He seems too... Odd for Marissa's type.' I looked back once more at my friends tombstone before walking away.