The girl walked along the cemetery path, her feet remembering the way. She had been here so many times before that she didn’t need to see where she was going. The boy next to her swung her hand in his, to a rhythm only they could hear, his curly brown hair ruffled by the wind.
She clutched the flowers she held tightly. Red ones. Her favorite color.
The headstone came into view, the surface smooth and polished. She dropped to her knees, kicking off her sandals in the warm afternoon sun, and Kristen Maxwell laid the roses reverently next to the words that made up the sum of her best friend’s life.
She traced the carved name in bold letters, ABIGAIL.
“Hi, Abbey,” she said, pulling the graduation cap from her head and setting it on top of the stone. “Today was the big day. I wish you could have been there.”
The boy sat down beside her. “I think she was. There with us in spirit.”
“I know, Ben. But still …”
He took her hand, laced her fingers through his and pulled them up for a quick kiss. “What do you want to do today? To celebrate?”
Kristen looked off into the distance. In the direction of a cottage that she would never know was there. “Let’s stay here with her a bit longer. Then I want to go downtown and look at the vacant shops. I had this dream last night about a beautiful little store with perfumes and lotions and creams. That was what Abbey always wanted to do. To open a perfume shop here in the Hollow.”
She played absentmindedly with the ribbon in her hair. It came loose and fell free.
She tried to catch it. Stood up, laughing, as she tried to chase it down. But it slipped through her fingers, and she couldn’t hold on. The wind carried it away.
I watched them from the edge of the cemetery. Kristen and Ben. She looked so beautiful, in her graduation cap and gown. And Ben … It was obvious that he couldn’t have been happier.
Caspian came up from behind me, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed the side of my neck. I leaned into him.
“I’m so glad she’s happy,” I said.
“Me too,” he replied. “Are you happy?”
I thought about all that I’d lost. And then I thought about all that I’d gained. I threaded my fingers through his and watched my friends holding tightly to each other.
“Yes,” I answered. “I am.”
Something touched my bare feet, and I looked down. A green ribbon was lying there.
I bent to pick it up, and smiled.
Tucking it into my pocket, I turned to Caspian. His lips met mine, and the world faded away. The stars came out. And the sun shone brighter than the moon.