"Why, Anna? Why did you have to die?" Caleb had never planned on returning to this fucking town. Even though his family was here-- his spineless mother and his little sister, so full of life the last time he'd seen her-- he hadn't wanted to come back. He missed the two of them terribly, but the fact of the matter was that he felt like a cheap, deadbeat loser. He'd been slinging drugs back in high school to provide for them because their mother couldn't figure out how, but he'd been found out. Surprisingly enough, though, only one person had found out in all of that time, and he'd sworn her to secrecy. As far as he knew, she'd kept his secret.
But he'd walked out on his family, and her too. He could still picture her face the last time he saw her, and it still pained him, five years later. "Christ, Anna. I wish you were here." But of course, if she were here, he would not be. Lowering his head, Caleb sighed, slumping down in the seat of his classic Camaro. Glancing over at the roach in the ashtray, he reached for it and picked it up, twirling it between his fingers. There was hardly enough left to smoke of it, and he didn't really want to light a new one right now. He didn't want to go into Anna's service smelling of the devil's lettuce. That would be disrespectful to his former friend.
Sniffling, he threw the roach back into the ashtray and decided he could go for a cigarette instead. Rolling down the window, he pulled a smoke from the soft pack beside him, snagging a lighter from the cupholder. Placing the cigarette filter between his lips, he lit the lighter and brought the flame to the other end, inhaling deeply. Dropping the lighter back into the cupholder, he sighed as he exhaled a steady stream of smoke, looking over again at the church. He'd been sitting in the back of the parking lot for some time now, and he knew he needed to suck it up and go inside. But he wasn't ready.
He didn't even look the same. He kept his hair cut short now, so different than the long brown locks he used to have. The ones that always made him look young, or so his sister had told him. Would she be here? His mother? Any of his former friends? An image of the letter flashed in his mind and he cursed again, thinking of Anna's dying wish. Sure, Caleb had nothing else going on really, but he wasn't sure he could grant her her wish. Taking another drag from the cigarette, he ashed the thing out of the open window, pursing his lips some as he pondered how a trip to the old cabin would go.
A few seconds later, he just shook his head. There was no way possible, especially not after all this time. Finishing his cigarette in just a few more puffs, he flicked the thing from his hand as he reached to shut the car off. In just a few seconds time, he was out of the car and headed to the church, hands tucked into his pockets. He kept his head down, not making eye contact as he headed inside, though he was careful not to bump into anyone. He felt his throat tighten as he reached the area outside of the visitation room. "Nope." He immediately turned on his heel, heading back to the door, spotting a familiar face on the way.
"Whitney." He breathed, staring for a few seconds before his feet started to move. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of her, still staring. "Whitney." He repeated, almost as though he were making sure it was her. After a moment, his face relaxed into a smile, and he automatically pulled her into a hug. "Jesus, thank god. I thought I was gonna be the only one." He whispered into her hair, pulling back a moment later. "Come on. I could use a smoke. Care to join me?" He started towards the door again, pulling her outside with him as he started down the steps. He was so excited to see one of his old friends, which was a shock enough, but nothing compared to what he felt when he bumped into someone. "Shit, sorry-" He stopped dead when he looked up and spotted yet another familiar face. The familiar face. "Evie. Hey."