Title: End Your Grief With Me Status: Complete Characters: Anon, Rosa Rating: SFW Classification: One-Shot Author: PumpkinBrain Summary: Anon still grieves over what happened all that time ago. But maybe a certain orange ankylosaur can finally help him be at peace. A single rose sat on the cold marble of Lucy’s gravestone. It didn’t seem out of place amongst the rest of the flowers and trinkets placed around the two graves, but to me, it stuck out. Because it was… familiar. The colors, the thorns, the way it was set up—so perfect, so much so that it looked like it would shatter if I were to touch it. Yet… old. Like it had been there for a week. It probably had. But… it reminded me of myself, in a way. Barely standing, sticking out to the world, yet… a symbol of failure. Of hurt and regret. That was me. That was Anon. A broken man, a symbol of failure. Or something symbolic and cool-sounding. I sighed to myself. Who was I kidding. I wasn’t Shakespeare. I wasn’t… that.. one dude. You know the guy; whoever wrote Hamlet. Wait, no. I think that was also Shakespeare. Fuck. You get my point. I’m trying so hard to sound symbolic, but really, what can I do? Symbolism is dumb. Symbolism doesn’t make things hurt less, symbolism doesn’t fix my leg, symbolism… …symbolism doesn’t bring Lucy back. I leaned my head against the back of the grave, having taken my normal seat beside it. It was something I did every week. Every Monday, I would come down and visit Lucy. I would bring flowers, or maybe just a tupperware container full of dino nuggets. I would eat them cold as I lied against the stone, whispering ‘Lucy’ over and over. And… yeah, Lucy. After spending so much time around he—their grave, I had come to the conclusion that I… I didn’t deserve to call them Fang anymore. They had been so happy as Fang. We had been so happy together. There were problems, of course there were, but… at the end of the day, they were happiest as Fang. And I… I didn’t deserve to remember them as Fang. In a twisted form of self-hatred, I felt the need to isolate myself from the happy memories of my partner. I felt the need to completely remove myself from them. Because maybe… maybe if they had never met me, things would’ve been okay. But I don’t know. For it is I… an idiot. Laugh it up at the idiot. He spends all day crying over the dead body of a pterodactyl he got killed. Every Monday, it’s the same shit. He goes out, he sits there, he cries and he apologizes. What changed today? Anything? Nope. Absolutely nothing. So, for the next few hours, I just continued sitting where I was at. It was a sunny day out, so I looked like I was just chillin’, even though I felt like it should’ve been raining. It should always be raining. Every day of my life since that fateful morning had felt like a goddamn monsoon, and I didn’t know if that feeling would ever go away. I didn’t even know if I wanted it to go away. Sometimes crying and blaming myself felt nice. But for the whole time, I didn’t pull out my phone. That’s right, for the entirety of that time, my cell phone remained in my jacket pocket. Mostly because it… didn’t feel right. See, these past few weeks, I had shitposted less and less. Why? Well… I don’t know, exactly. Though… it was probably some unconscious thing that told me Lucy would hate my shitposting. I wouldn’t have blamed them. I would often drop hard Rs and use words I couldn’t necessarily reclaim—words they would’ve hated hearing from me. Words that would’ve made them disgusted. I would bait people, say and think things that would’ve made them disgusted. I was a disgusting person behind the scenes, and I couldn’t continue that. It wouldn’t be right. Call it self-improvement based upon the need to self-hate. Or some bullshit like that. I didn’t really care for definitions. Not anymore. …I sighed as I looked down at the grass. The problem now was… I just didn’t know what to do. Shitposting had been my life for so long, but now that I hate the mere idea of it, what the fuck do I do with my life? Even playing XRox has made me sick, knowing that the last true conversation I ever had with Lucy was me and them fighting because I had ignored them in favor of the stupid console. So that went out the window. Both metaphorically and literally—I had thrown it away around a week after the incident. I couldn’t stand looking at it. A part of me wanted to go buy a PachyStation or something, but that felt like indulgence. And, well… I didn’t deserve to indulge. Ring a fucking bell, after all. Anon hates himself. Nothing new there. But I continued my routine. “…I’m sorry, Lucy.” I muttered, and curled up slightly. My voice felt hoarse, as I hadn’t spoken to anybody—or anyTHING—in hours. Probably days, actually. I didn’t even talk to the grocery store clerks anymore, instead opting to do the more convenient self-checkout. It was easier, and helped me dodge more people. Better to think about ending my life that way. “I’m so sorry. I can’t say it enough, but… I don’t think it ever will be enough.” I chuckled. It had taken a long, long time to chuckle at the stuff I was saying. But then I rubbed my eyes. “I fucked up so much. I ignored you for so long. I didn’t… I didn’t support you when you needed it. I’m… I’m sorry your boyfriend is such a loser.” I had said the words before. Everything I just said; it was nothing original. It was all just repeated schlock—repeated words of hatred to hopefully justify myself in the eyes of Raptor Jesus. Make him know I was regretful, or something like that. Something to make the nonexistent people around me feel bad about me, to let them know how sad I was and how bad I felt about everything. That’s on par, isn’t it? Even when I’m apologizing, I’m only doing it for attention. Of course, deep down, I was speaking from the heart. I had just said it so many times it was beginning to lose all meaning. But I continued sitting there, probably for another few minutes, until… “An-on? Is that you?” A familiar voice asked, and I felt myself jump out of my own skin. Fuck. Who had—who decided to show up? Why here? Why now? “An-on! Oh my goodness, it is you!” The voice said again. I snapped my head towards the voice, and felt a pit open up in my stomach. Rosa. I didn’t say anything at first. It had been so long since I had seen her—so long since I had talked to her. I’m sure she had tried contacting me, but not since the first week. After a visit in the hospital where I pretty much grumbled and yelled the whole time, I was surprised she even texted me—but I still found myself disliking the messages. They were all empty words of support, ‘sorry’s she didn’t have to say. I was the only one that needed to apologize. Thankfully, though, after me not responding for a while, she eventually stopped trying; but now I was fucked. Here she was, in all her mexican-strongwoman-glory, ready to kick my ass for letting Lucy die. Like Ripley had done a few weeks back. Except now, it would probably hurt more, because Ripley had cried the entire time he was beating the shit out of me… “An-on, you are muttering to yourself again.” She whispered, and got down on her knees next to me. She began to look over me with her bright red orbs. “ Ay caramba , An-on, you look terrible…” She muttered, and put a hand to my face. I flinched away from it for a second, and she flinched back as well. But then I relaxed, and she went back to doing what she was doing. I didn’t give her permission, and I don’t know why I let her, but she continued to softly stroke my face. Rubbing away dirt and roughing up my stubble. I hadn’t shaved in a month or so, and I’m sure I looked fantastic because of it. But all Rosa was doing was getting a feel for my face. It didn’t feel patronizing, though. It felt… nice. It felt good. If strange. Very strange. So, eventually, I opened my mouth back up. “R-Rosa?” I stuttered. I was starting to blush. “Ah, s-sorry, An-on.” She said, and pulled her hand away, somewhat embarrassed. But she cleared her head quickly, and focused back on me. She put both hands on her knees and looked me in the eyes. “It’s just… been so long. How have you been holding up, mi amigo ?” She asked, her voice sincere. Even with the usage of ‘mi amigo’, her voice sounded so genuine. So I decided I’d answer her genuinely. I could’ve easily spat in her face, been sarcastic, acted like a dick—but something about how she was talking to me, it just… it drew me in. It comforted me. “I haven’t been great, Rosa. I’ll be honest.” I exhaled. “It’s been hard.” I admitted. “Ay, si , I can tell.” She giggled. “But I understand, An-on. Fang’s death was hard on all of us…” She turned to the gravestone. “But I think it was the hardest on you. You were her novio , after all. I can’t imagine what that was like.” She spoke softly, and leaned back slightly on her knees. She was trying to get more comfortable, I think. The grass couldn’t have been too soft. “It… it sucked, you know.” I shrugged. I didn’t really feel like talking about my feelings to Rosa. She was comforting me; but I wasn’t THAT comfortable. “It was hard. But it is what it is.” She looked flabbergasted. “It is—?? No , An-on, you blockhead.” She huffed, and karate-chopped me on the head. I grunted, and gave her a look. A blockhead? Now that’s hitting below the belt. She just kept frowning. “This is not an ‘it is what it is’ situation, idiota . That was tu amor, and you’re telling me it is what it is?” She asked. She then leaned back and pulled a thick sandal off her foot. “ Por Raptor Jesús, debes disculparte, o te daré una muestra de mi zapato!” I put my hands up. “Jeez! Relax!” I defended. “I can’t understand what you’re saying!” I added. I really didn’t know what she had said. How could I defend myself if I couldn’t even understand her? She growled again, and put her shoe back on. “An-on, come with me.” She said, and then stood up. I continued sitting until she grabbed me and forcefully pulled me up. “Rosa, what the hell are you—!“ I fought, but she interrupted. “You are coming with me to Volcano High.” My heart sank, and she continued to push me along. I was fighting to stand up straight and use my cane. “We will continue this conversation there. Entender ?” She asked, and I had to use context clues to figure out what that last word meant. Something told me it was either ‘understand’ or ‘capische’. I guess those mean the same thing, though. But what the hell was going on? Was I being interrogated? Was she finally going to beat me up? …no. She wasn’t. Which is why I just sighed. “Rosa, please. I don’t… I don’t have time for this.” “What are you doing today, An-on?” She asked, stopping me in my tracks and stepping in front of me. Her voice had switched again. No longer was she an angry Latina; now she was a caring friend. What the hell, man? Is she mad or not? “I’m not mad at you, idiota .” Damn it. Guess I was muttering again. “I just need to talk to you. Lo prometo. I promise.” She nodded. …I was back to considering what to do with my day. I had so many options here. Rosa was being forceful, so it looked like I didn’t—but I could easily push her and run away or something. She might catch me, given my bad leg, but I don’t think she’d tackle a cripple. I also had the option of screaming out my emotions at her, telling her I hate her, and then walking away as she cried. …yeah, no. But that left the final option, which was to go along with whatever stupid shit it was that she was planning. Well, not stupid. She probably had something thoughtful and caring in mind. She always did—that was who Rosa was. Her voice had had such an allure on me earlier… and it still does. She’s a caring person, and she wants to see me do better. That was always her thought process. From the very beginning, that’s what she thought, and I’ve always known. I’m not blind. I ignored her and pushed her away, but that was because I… Goddamn it, I didn’t deserve that care. I didn’t deserve her apologies, like I said. I don’t deserve her care now, and I didn’t deserve it back then. I couldn’t for the life of me fathom why she cared so much, given my track record of being a piece of shit, but… from what I’ve seen… she did. She really, truly, did. And even if I didn’t feel I deserved her care, what choice did I have? She was forceful. She was aggressive. But she cared. Bottom fucking line, man. So I sighed, and made my decision. “Alright, Rosa. Let’s go.” I muttered. I didn’t expect to feel any better, if she had some grand care plan in mind, but what did I have to lose? I wasn’t exactly doing anything with my time… She smirked, and gave a hum. A modicum sign of happiness. “Glad you came to your senses, mi amigo .” And so we left, walking from the gravestones to the parking lot. It was a long walk made longer by my limping, though it only took Rosa around a minute to give me a shoulder to lean on. It didn’t help much, but I guess it was the thought that counted. When we got out to said parking lot, I hopped in Rosa’s RAM 1500, and we drove off; Lucy’s gravestone left behind in our midst. I… would have to ask Rosa what she was doing there. I had never seen her visit before. So why now? Though, for now, the sounds of Mexican music on the stereo kept my brain occupied. Suavamente wasn’t a bad song, to be honest. Something by Green Day would’ve been more my speed, though. …a few minutes later, and we arrived at our destination. The tall, imposing building coming into view filled me with such… dread. Dread I had never felt before. Not since that day. This building, it… fuck. It… had been a while since I had seen the place. I don’t think I’d been back since the incident. It looked the same as ever, but now it had such an aura of… emptiness. It was the rain clouds. They surrounded me and the school. But you see, after that day, I dropped out completely, never wanting to have anything to do with high school again. And… rightfully so. Every time I looked at that fucking building, I just… The blood, the bodies, it… It was all… it was all back… “An-on, hey, are you okay? ¿Estás bien?” Rosa asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. Huh? What? What’s? Am I alright? What’s— “An-on, you’re hyperventilating.” And when I looked back at Rosa, the world came back. “…oh.” I muttered. I looked at my hands, and took note of how much they were shaking. I was like a leaf in a thunderstorm. “S-Sorry, I…” “It’s okay, An-on. Don’t worry. We’re not going into the actual school.” She said, giving me comfort. At least I wouldn’t have to look at those… those damn hallways. But wait, if we’re not entering the school, then— “And I know what you’re gonna ask. We’re going to the garden, An-on.” Oh, fuck. I should’ve expected this. The garden. Of course it was the garden. That was her whole thing—Rosa likes flowers. Raptor Jesus, flowers, and tacos. That’s Rosa’s character description. I couldn’t expect anything more. Goddamn it. Of course she had only brought me here to be a glorified work horse. Can she not see my leg is fucked up? But… she wanted a response. “Alright.” I muttered, but then I brought focus to my leg. “I probably won’t be able to help much, though.” I said, spitefully. “That’s alright, An-on.” She smiled at me. She must not have heard my tone. “I’m not bringing you to be a work horse, tonto. I just need to speak to you.” Fuck. Was I muttering? “And I figured the garden could help break the tension a little bit, si?” She asked, and locked her car. She had a trowel in her hands already. “Now, come on. Vamanos !” I chuckled as she began to push me a little bit. She didn’t bring me to be a work horse, huh? I guess I couldn’t be too mad, then. She probably did have a plan. “A-Alright.” I said, and smiled slightly. I frowned again. I couldn’t smile for too long. “Let’s go.” I spoke, my tone now noticeably more muted. She didn’t comment on it, though.. …and every step I took in the direction of the school, I had to be almost dragged. It felt like my feet were in deep mud. My body screamed at me to not approach this place again, but Rosa's impatience kept me grounded. A little, at least. We continued walking for maybe around five minutes, and I had to try my best not to look at the mammoth of a school right next to us. I couldn't shake the visions… The crowd in front of the school, the commotion… It… I kept expecting Trish to appear in the crowd, to be restrained all over again. To hear all that fucking commotion. I couldn't look at the school at all. I tried shutting it out of my awareness to no avail. Buckets of adrenaline poured into my body, my chest felt like a metal forge. I wanted to break off and run. My heart beat hard, I could feel it thumping fast under my shirt. It tells me it'd carry me miles to get anywhere but here. Here be demons… ..Goddamn it, get a hold of yourself. Can’t even look at a school... Coward. Anyway… we kept walking. It was all we had done for what felt like an hour. Once again, my leg wasn’t helping. Though, eventually, we arrived at the pretty little garden. The shining sunny day felt like a hailstorm, but I guess Rosa helped make it a little brighter. I don’t know how she did it, but she seemed so… happy. She seemed so content and so in-her-element. Like a beacon in the night. It… made me a little jealous. All of this hatred, all of this anger. All of it towards myself. All of my pent-up emotions. Sadness, grief, it was all there. And… Rosa was a perfect representation of a lack of it. She was smelling the flowers and saying words in Spanish to them, acting as if they were all her friends. I guess, in a way, they were. But I wouldn’t know what that’s like. “Here, An-on.” She said, and unfolded a folding chair. “Take a seat. I’m sure that leg of yours needs rest, si?” She asked, and gave a sweet giggle. “You can say that again.” I muttered gruffly. My usual. I still couldn’t believe I ended up here, but I guess having a seat wasn’t so bad. The garden was actually kinda pretty when I wasn’t wiping thorns and vines out of my eyes. …vines. I remembered that day and froze in place. We had gotten detention, and Spears sent us to go help with the gardening club. It’s where I first met Rosa. And… I think Stella too. Or maybe not. But it’s where I saw Rosa for the first time. And it’s… it’s also… This is… this is where we… …this is where me and Lucy had… th-this is where we made our first connection. This is where we first talked, where I made that stupid joke to try and move on from what happened at the auditorium. This is when we had spoken on that roof. This is when she had tried to destroy someone’s car. This was… this garden was… it… “Oh, An-on. There it is.” The world around me once again filled in, pulling me out of the back of my head. Rosa whispered something, throwing her trowel to the side with uncharacteristic disregard for her garden. When did she get so close? And… when did… …When did I start crying? Rosa wrapped her strong arms around my head, and I leaned myself into her. She was such a comforting presence, God—fuck! What the hell… she… why was she… why was she so nice to me? The thought made me want to cry more as she pulled me in closer. I sniffled loudly. Gosh…. she smelled like vanilla and spice. To the masses that probably sounds like a weird scent, but to me… it was perfect. It was Rosa. It perfectly encapsulated Rosa. Which meant it… it perfectly encapsulated comfort. “There there, An-on. Está bien.” She whispered. I sobbed audibly, drawing in a shaky breath, the tears burning like fire as my ego no longer protests their release. She began to rub my head back and forth. My hoodie had gotten in the way slightly, but she didn’t seem to care. “Talk to me, An-on. It’s been so long since it happened, but you haven’t let go, have you?” She spoke so softly. Like an angel. “Of course you haven’t. Your heart is too big to forget, An-on…” “I…” I started. Gosh. What was I doing? I had told myself I wouldn’t do this. But here I was. A girl wraps her arms around me, and all of a sudden the waterworks come out… “It’s all my fault, Rosa.” I admitted, my voice broken. I didn’t even have to think about it. Fuck. I feel awful putting this on Rosa. She doesn't deserve the weight of my guilt, but I can’t stop talking. “I ruined everything. Lucy is dead—she’s dead, so many people are dead, all because of me.” I choked. My face felt awful and sticky. The tears stained my cheeks. I had forgotten to use her pronouns. Of course I did. I was just… I was just a piece of shit like that. “Not because of you, An-on…” Rosa whispered. “I—Yes, of course because of me.” I whimpered. My voice almost returned to normal, my breathing becoming more capable. “I did that. I pushed her to that.” I begged her to believe me. “No you didn’t, An-on.” I don’t know why, but that line made me angry. She didn’t understand. She wasn’t understanding. Nobody ever understood! I quickly stood up, ignoring the throb in my leg. “YES, ROSA! GODDAMN IT! IT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF ME!” I yelled, backing away from her. I kicked the chair over in my struggle, but I didn’t care. Rosa looked shocked—hurt, even—at my yelling, but she stayed still. “I was such a shitty boyfriend, Rosa. I interrupted her, I left her hanging, I let Naomi control everything, I always LIED, I never used her pronouns—fuck!” I screamed. I had done it again. “God damn it! Look at that. Fuck!” I fell to my knees, ignoring the pain that shot up my leg. God… I had fallen to my knees. Right in front of her. I was making a fool of myself… I looked down at the ground out of shame. “Fuck, Rosa. God… it’s… I did it, Rosa. So many people are dead and it’s my fault.” I looked back up at her. “Why deny it? Why deny the truth?” She didn’t say anything for a few moments. She just stood there. I was left wondering what she would say—even slightly angry that she dared to stay silent. I couldn't look up at her. I was ashamed. She had sounded convicted earlier, yet here she was, not knowing how to respond when someone spoke the truth to her. …But then she did something I didn’t expect. She knelt down to me, and wrapped her arms slowly around me again. It wasn’t as tight this time, but I… I still felt the authenticity behind it. I felt her shoulders shake a little, then I heard her breath behind my shoulder. She was crying for me. The realization broke my heart. “An-on, you’ve been holding onto this for so long.” She paused to take in a shaky breath. “You made mistakes, of course you did—but mi amigo , you can’t hold onto your regrets forever.” “But I… but I did this, Rosa.” I choked. I was holding onto her, hard—like she was my last lifeline. “It was my fault. Of course I’ve held onto it for this long, I don’t… I don’t deserve to leave it behind. I… I can’t.” I garbled. God. I was such a pussy… “An-on.” She whispered, rocking me back and forth. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. " She spoke softly. I didn't speak. Her words shocked me, though I didn't know why. "Mateo 5:4." She paused. "The words of Jesuchristo." I felt her smile softly. The verse comforted her. And… I wasn’t exactly a religious guy. I had never believed in it—even if I didn’t want to be a soy atheist redditor, I couldn’t force myself to believe in God. I respected people’s choice to be religious, but it never appealed to me. I never understood quoting Bible verses, and I often didn’t like when people would say them to me. It felt like they were talking down to me. However, at that moment… I don’t think I really minded. Rosa didn’t say it out of some odd form of self-righteousness. She… she said it to make me feel better. She used something that was close to her heart… to make me feel better. So that I would be comforted… even if she didn’t know how I would react, that was her goal. I felt the waterworks starting up again. All of my confusion was gone—and it was replaced by such… warmth. And all of it was emanating from the orange ankylosaur in front of me. But I still had no idea what to say. Even if the rain clouds had temporarily moved away, what… what do I do? What do I do anymore? “I’m… I’m sorry, Rosa.” I whispered. I didn’t know why I was apologizing. Maybe it was because I cried on her hair… “I’m so sorry.” I said, and pushed her slightly away. To look her in the eyes. “I don’t think you mean to say it to me, mi amigo.” She smiled sweetly, the scales on her face shiny and wet. She can see right through me. “But I accept your apology.” Her eyes darted over my face, looking me over as her smile grew. Such a nice smile. Such a comforting smile. “I just…” I trailed off, trying to consider my words. “I still feel so bad about what happened. It’s my fault Fa—Lucy,” I corrected, “—died. It’s my fault they… it’s my fault—“ “Anon.” Rosa sharply cut in. I shut up quick. That’s… that’s the first time she’s… “Stop.” Her facial features softened. “Just stop, bien? ” She practically whimpered saying that. I felt uncomfortable now. “Call her Fang, An-on. Why are you forcing yourself to say Lucy?” Well, now I felt awkward. How… how do I explain my thought process? How do I go about doing such a thing? It sounded all stupid now that I was thinking about it… “An-on, I don’t care if it’s stupid. If you care about it, then I care about it.” She grabbed my hands. I felt her warmth once again, and I let my shoulders relax. “I… I just… I don’t think I deserve to call her that.” I admitted. “She was so happy as Fang. And I… I don’t think I deserve to remember when she was happy.” I blushed. It was such an embarrassing thought process, even if I found myself still believing it… …all Rosa did was shake her head. “An-on, there’s so much… so much wrong with what you just said.” She replied, but… not in a rude way. She was still so soft-spoken. Still so sympathetic. It was making my heart hurt. Why was she wasting such sympathy on a guy like me? Wait, she’s still going. “An-on, what do you think Fang would want?” …what would Lucy want, huh? …To… to tell the truth, I had never considered it. I guess that’s another thing that makes me selfish, huh? In my own pursuit of self-hate, I had forgotten to consider what Lucy would’ve wanted. What she would’ve been happy with. Because… because even at the end of the line… Lucy still loved me. … and I still loved her. My God, even at the end of everything, even after what she did—I still love her so much. I still visit her grave every week. I still remember her. I still apologize, I still bring her food, I still leave gifts, I still feel such hatred for myself—all because I… because I love her. I love her so much it hurts. It hurts me. And she… she loved me. I loved her and she loved me. “If you love her so much, An-on, then you need to realize that she wouldn’t want this.” Rosa spoke up, catching me slightly off-guard. “Fang loved you until her dying breath, An-on. And if she truly loved her novio … then she wants to see you happy. She’d want to see you succeed, An-on. She wouldn’t want you sitting around… wallowing in your own misery, day after day.” Rosa shook her head rapidly. She wasn’t calling me an idiot anymore, at least. “It’s just not what she wants, An-on. She is waiting for you–in Heaven…” Rosa trailed off, looking away. And then back to me. “But she won’t be happy if you show up like this, mi amigo. ” …is she… is she implying I…? Is she saying that I look like I’ll…? I… I guess… I guess it makes sense. I guess I can’t blame her for thinking that. I can’t say I haven’t thought about it. …But I still don’t know what to say. “That’s alright, An-on. Just keep it in mind, si ?” She wiped her eyes. “Now come on. I might need your help after all.” She giggled, and pointed to the disarray her garden had become after our chat. What the hell? We didn’t even touch any of the— I shook my head. Forget it. It’s not worth the effort. But… you know, I didn’t really feel like gardening. Though when I saw Rosa’s face, something inside of me told me fuck no. I had to help her garden. After all of that? After all she just did? I couldn’t deny her her request. So, I sat down in my chair and began to work on some roses. They were very pretty. But… familiar. …and then it hit me. I thought back to the rose on Lucy’s gravestone. It was… it was her. Rosa had put that there. That’s… that’s why it was familiar. Rosa had never forgotten Lucy. Rosa had been visiting her grave all along. Just like me. But… Rosa had… Rosa had moved on. Even if she kept the memory alive, she wasn’t sad about it. She didn’t regret not changing anything. She didn’t regret not being able to save anybody. At least… not like I did. I’m sure she regret it, but… not to the point of wallowing in misery every day. She had a garden to take care of, after all. She needed to move on. She would remember, and she would still visit the grave… but she had moved on. And.. I guess I needed to, as well. I would never forget her. But… maybe I should start remembering her differently. “…I love you, Fang.” I whispered. Bless your heart in Heaven, my sweet tooth. [POST-NOTES] Big thanks to Drecka for his help with the Bible verse stuff. I wouldn’t have been able to find that good or a verse without him! Thank you bro! And thank you all for reading! EDIT: overhaul! A lot of extra details added in and some extra interaction bits that make the story really pop. I received some suggestions from the gentleman mentioned above and we reviewed some stuff before deciding on what we thought was a good final version of the story. He's been a big help, and this story is now a hell of a lot better because of him. Big love my dude.