Maisie walked to the room and opened the door. Ryleigh was still looking out the window.
She walked to the side of the bed and sat on the chair. “Ryleigh, Joe’s wake will be in seven days.”
Ryleigh started reacting when Joe was mentioned, and her finger shook.
Maisie held her hand and said, “I know that you blame yourself. I do too. I should’ve been by your side
that day. Joe did this to save you, and it will be a pain that you can never recover from for the rest of your
life, so you’re feeling guilty about it.”
Ryleigh suddenly spoke. “It was my fault… I did this to him. I should have been the one to die.”
“Ryleigh, nobody is at fault. Did he save you so that you’ll be sad and suffer for the rest of your life?”
Ryleigh’s tears rolled down her face then she shook her head. “But I-”
*Alright, let’s not talk about this.* Maisie wiped her tears away. “You didn’t do anything wrong, and neither
did he. He liked you, and even though he used this way to take you away, he still saved you with his life.
Some people will sacrifice themselves when they’re in love, sometimes two people fall for each other and
live happily ever after. But when three people are involved, someone has to back out even though it’s
cruel.”
Maisie looked up at her. ‘In a dangerous situation, do you think he regretted when he pushed you out of
harm’s way?” Ryleigh looked around and pressed her lips together. Maisie looked at her. “You want to
appreciate this friendship, but once it surpassed the level of friendship. you didn’t know what to do, but
he knew that there was no way to turn back. He never regretted saving you because he let you know
how he felt.”
Ryleigh’s lips parted but didn’t say anything. Maisie slowly got up. “Keep this love of his in your heart.
You have a long life ahead of you. He would regret saving you if he saw you living your life feeling sorry
for him.”
Maisie was walking to the door when Ryleigh suddenly said, “The wake…” She paused, “Can I go?”
Joe’s wake was held at the funeral home. Aside from his family members, his old friends from school
showed up too.
The people walked to the casket and placed white roses on top of it.
Joe’s family was devastated, but the people who showed up were consoling them.
Maisie wore a black dress. She placed the white rose on his casket and looked up at the picture next to
it.
When she turned around, a tired-looking woman spoke to her, “Excuse me.”
Maisie turned around and saw a woman in her 50s with a white flower pinned to the front of her chest. It
was Joe’s mother.
Maisie nodded. “Ma’am.” “Are you Joe’s friend from school? You came to our home with another girl
before this, right? You look pretty different, so I couldn’t be sure.”
Maisie walked closer to her and held her hand, “You’re right. I visited your home with Ryleigh when we
were in high school.”
Mrs. Watson gave a sad smile. “It’s all part of life.”
“My condolences.” Maisie held her hand. ” We will remember Joe even when he’s no longer around,
always.”
Mrs. Watson wiped her tears away and squeezed out a smile. When she composed herself, she
remembered something, “Did the other girl not come? I remember that Joe liked her a lot, but he never
confessed his feelings.”
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