Page 156 of The Friend Scheme
At least his eulogy is good. It’s epic and sad.
I glance around. Maybe a hundred people have shown up, and each one is wearing beautiful clothes. Which is good. If someone showed up in jeans I might’ve lost it.
It’s about respect.
To my left is my aunt Sara and her two daughters. She’s a widow now, and my cousins no longer have a father. All because of the Donovans.
I’ve never seen three people look more ruined.
I know my uncle was a torturer. He did unspeakable things and never really seemed to care about it. But looking at his grieving family, I know he didn’t deserve this.
I also can’t help but think how easily this could be Luke’s funeral.
Or Dad’s.
Or mine.
We three got lucky.
Vince, and others, didn’t.
There were numerous injuries from the fire, and two others died in the shooting. It’d be all over the news if our family didn’t have control over the local media. We’ve kept it quiet and explained the fire as the result of a gas leak. The bar burning down made headlines, but nobody knows what really happened.
People tell us we got lucky. But that’s the thing about luck. It runs out eventually.
If nothing changes, one day, maybe soon, I’ll be at one of these things for Luke or Dad.
Or they’ll be at mine.
Receptions are weird.
I mean, some people are smiling and laughing and acting like this is just an ordinary gathering. Other people are inconsolable.
“There you are,” says a voice, and I turn.
Cassidy.
She sits down beside me. She’s wearing a black dress. Her makeup is perfect. Either it’s waterproof, because I’m pretty sure that’s a thing, or she never really cared about Vince. For some reason, that thought really bothers me.
“How are you?” I ask.
She shrugs. “Shitty. How are you?”
“I don’t even know, to be honest. I don’t think it’s hit me yet.”
It’s a lie.
I’m angry.
I just don’t know how I feel about feeling that. It feels like the sort of thing I shouldn’t admit.
She nods. “Were you close?”
I don’t feel like lying.
“Not really. I guess it feels weird because now I’m never going to be.”
“I get that. Death is so hard because people are built to want what they can’t have. Now he’s always going to be the one who got away. Sorry if that’s weird to say, I’ve just been thinking about it a lot.”
