Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Today, I went to Audrey's funeral.
Her best friends, Katie and Amanda, got up to say a few words.
When Katie got there, she was crying, and her mother was holding her, seemingly comfortingly, on both biceps. Her steps were heavy, thudding, resisting; I don't think she wanted to be there. Of course, who WOULD want to be there, at their best friend's might-as-well-have-been-their-sister's funeral? Amanda showed up, distant. It took her a while to actually get close to the coffin.
Katie had been dropped off minutes before the accident.
Amanda had been in the car with Audrey. Amanda had put on her seatbelt. She had survived.

I found out the story with Audrey, as well.
Audrey had gotten into an arguement with her mom, and then had run away. She had gone to a party, gotten drunk with Amanda and Katie, you know, highschool stuff. But then, they decided to go home. Audrey dropped Katie off, and then went on her merry way. She had gone right, off the road, and hit a few trees. Mostly, just kind of skimmed them, brushed them, but at 60+ mph, there is no such thing as 'brushed.' Anyways, Audrey lost control, the car (I'm guessing; we're coming into the realm of physics and basic sense) spun, Audrey, not wearing her seatbelt, was partially ejected. That could mean anything from her door came open, and she started falling out, to her torso came out of the window, and... Well, these are things for CSI: to think about. I'd rather not.

Anyways.
The funeral started at 2 pm. It ended at about 3:30 pm. It was mostly just an hour and a half of everyone sharing stories about her, looking at her pictures, laughing at how she would have reacted to our sobs, and, of course, crying. I cried a lot. I couldn't help it. My friend Nikki stood beside me the entire time, her arm around my shoulders, my arm around her waist, and Ranisha held my other hand.
After the funeral, they did two different things:

They wanted the burying of the body a sort of family thing. They didn't want us kids there. A final goodbye for her siblings, parents, grandparents.
So, for us students, they did a 'releasing the balloons' thing. I shared a pink one with Nikki.
It flew off, like Audrey.

I miss her.
But I feel better now.

RIP Audrey.