The Echo in My Head

"Today is such a conflicting day for me. I have my graduation in a few hours. Can you believe the only thing that's keeping me as a high school student is what I'm doing right now? What was I suppose to say? Look I can't wait to get out this hell hole, but the person that made it possible for me to even stay here is dead. No what screw the funeral I'll graduate. No one will understand what this guy has meant to me or Kitty or the rest of the guys. Before I continue my daughter wants to say something."
I watched as Shakia signaled to be to bring her up. No matter how much I told myself to get up and move my feet I couldnt. Even though I really wanted to say something. Do something I just couldn't. We were here again. Like last time, even though now we're all working now and being paid, we couldn't affored both a buriel and a funneral. To my surprise however he had quite a few more friends then Caramel. Or should I say he had more encounters with others. So it was a lot more people at this buriel, and because it was just us we were allowed to spend time standing here.
I looked down at the casket before me and before i knew it tears had began to slide down my face. This was the first time i had cried this hard since my father died. Don't get me wrong I did cry when we lost Caramel, but i didn't cry this hard. This was too much though. He died. He was seriously dead. He was gone. He had gotten me through so much and he was gone. Seeing this casket slightly broke something in me. My knees were quickly turning into gelatin. Just has I was about to collaspe a pair of arms caught me. A pair I was entirely too familiar with. I looked up and Echo and burried my head in his chest.
"Uncle Cyrus, why won't Blaze wake up?" asked Caramel only bringing more tears to my eyes. Her bottom lip was pushed out into a pout making my heart only ache more. I couldn't help wondering exactly what he was going to say to her. I gave him a small reassuring smile before he bent down so that he was eye level with her.
"Sweetie Blaze went away to sleep away land. He's not to wake up and all, but he'll be better in sleep away land. I promise."
"He won't cry and be hurt. He won't drink anymore big boy juice." I added trying to be helpful.
"He won't play with anymore and tell me he loves me, but I'm glad he'll be happier Auntie Kitty. He scared me when he drank big boy juice. I'm going to miss him." she said surprising me even more with how advance at speaking she was. She burried her face in my skirt and Echo wrapped his arms around us pulling us closer. Just has Shakia was about to speak again the last people I thought would be here walked up. Blaze's mom and dad. I felt as a frown formed on my face as I stepped towards them. Seemingly Dawson had the same idea.
"What are you doing here?" growled Dawson looking like he was going to punch Blaze's dad in the face.
"He was our son." said his mom all heartbrokeningly as I scoffed and Dawson laughed like a maniac.
"He was more like your object of hate. What you did to him was disgusting and you weren't any better." said Dawson angrily.
"Don't you think that we know that?!" said Blaze's father stepping into his face. I was scared, but i also agreed with Dawson. The only reason we knew so much about each other was because we had been friends since we were five. We were the three musketeers and we stuck together no matter what.
"It's to bad that he had to die for you to make sense of that in your head. What's crazy is that you come here and act all broken up over his death, but you didn't even bother to call him once since he left your house. Know what just go. Get out of here." Dawson was quickly loosing it. I was still struggling to find my voice.
"Kitty please? I know you understand." she said turning towards me. She honestly thought she had a better chance with me. I completely agreed with Dawson. I felt as he came and grabbed my hand. Just as Echo grabbed my other one and Kyle and Grayson placed their hands on either of my shoulders. I took a deep breath before speaking. My voice came out shaky.
"Yeah I understand." I heard her sigh in relief. She had no idea. "I understand that you made his life a living hell. We didn't understand then but once he told us what was really going on so many things made sense. You're a sick woman for even thinking of doing that to a child. Yet alone your own son. I can't even imagine what kind of a man would even stay with a women like that, but then I don't have to imagine because I already know. I think you all should leave now and because we're the ones that paid for it we can do that. You didn't want anything to do with him then so don't act like you do now." More tear fell as we stood there and watched them retreat. Shakia joined us shorty after and Kyle quickly wrapped his arms around her and placed his head on her shoulder. I curled into Echo's side. Nothing else was said and we were running out of time.
As they began to lower the casket into the ground Caramel began to cry. Not the baby, but Annie. For a minute I thought I was seeing things. She was there and alongside her was Blaze with a fullblown smile on his face.
I'm happy now guys, I have my Annie back. He grabbed her hand and smiled at her with nothing but love in his eyes. Just as the tears began to dry up again something else made them continue. My eyes were staring back at me, but only they weren't my eyes. They belonged to my dad.
"Sweetie I am so proud of you. You were able to keep living and keep moving on. Don't worry about you're friends. I'll keep them safe with me until you all come and join us when you're old and gray as is intended. I like you new boyfriend. Keep him. Remember Kitten, no one will love someone who can't or has forgotten how to love themselves. Even the most abused, broken and/or defeated in all ways imaginable deserve love. No matter what we do, did, or have done we all need someone to love. Whether it's on Earth or in heaven true love in never forgotten. We carry it with us no matter where we go or if we have move on. If you're lucky enough to have found true love hold on and don't let go. If someone can love during your up and your downs and won't judge because of your mistakes and can't go a minute without missing you hold on. We try to hard to find love that we don't nearly focus enough on what's right in front of us. If someone just as broken and hurt by life as you are and y'all can find the strength to heal each other like no one else can that is true love. Keep it Kitty and remember daddy always will love you.
I let his words sink into my friends head as I looked at all of them. They weren't my friends anymore. They were my family and I loved them more then anything else. Spending that year away from them was hell and here we are two years later. Even with Shakia having to repeat her Senior year cause it was too hard to focus with the baby. Even though in his freshman year of college Blaze dropped out and never gave an explanation. We all thought he was moving on with the death of Annie, but we were wrong. He hung himself at his job and even left a note with a way to contact all of us. Losing any of them hurt like hell and I don't think I can handle anymore of that.
"Promise you guys won't leave me." I said all of a sudden. They all looked at me confused, but it was Echo who spoke.
"We'll stay with you as long as you stay with us." everyone nodded.
"Keep us in your heart and we'll keep you in ours" included Annie. I smiled before looking at my father.
"Thanks dad. I will love you always too and hope you continue to be the Echo in My Head."
"Always baby girl." We all said our final goodbyes and walked away feeling anything but sad. We weren't suppose to be sad anyways. This was a celebration. A celebration of how far we have all come and closure with the one things we couldn't even deal with.
"Who was that girl giving you a thumbs up and saying it was okay?" I asked Echo already knowing the answer.
"It was Stacey. She forgives me and she thinks you're cute." I blushed a little.
"Do you promise to be my friend forever?" I asked shyly.
"No." he said shocking me before a smile grew on his face. "I promise to be more then you friend forever. Promise you won't leave me...again."
"I promises I won't leave you again Cyrus." He smiled before leaning down and pressing his lips firmly against mines.
"That's all I wanted to hear Madeline." I smiled as i kissed him one last time and went to join the rest of our gang.
My name is Kitty. My boyfriend name is Cyrus or Echo as we call him. I have two female bestfriends, Shakia and Alice Anne, even though one is dead. I have a god-daughter name Caramel and a baby on the way. I have four of the best guy friends,Grayson, Dawson, Kyle(who is still dating Shaki and going strong) and Blaze, even though he's dead. This little group is one like no other. We started off in the darkest of tunnels, but we met each other and lit a few candles. It's still a struggle to live through the light, but I wouldn't change it for anything. This is our story. This was our lives.