Fran held painfully onto Taylor. His bleak, sullen face was enough to show everyone�s emotions. Silent tears fell from her eyes as a priest from a religion that Kyle never belonged to read over a bible passage that Kyle had never heard before. The shiny brown casket lay upon the steel biers that would lead it into the ground below.
"This is always a tough fate for the young, an even worse when unexpected. Kyle Andrew Bronson shall forever rest in peace, in the eternal kingdom with God the Father�" Fran shook her head, but couldn�t say anything. Kyle wasn�t religious, he was an atheist. Why his parents decided on a Christian priest to say his funeral was beyond her.
Taylor held onto her tightly, looking over the day. Everyone wasn�t paying much attention, they were either too shocked and transfixed by the casket, or they were too busy crying. It was cool and breezy out, a beautiful day for playing a game outside, take a walk, anything but be at a funeral. The hockey team were dressed in their jerseys and nice pants, Fran having the honor of holding his. It seemed like he was a military leader or something, from the way she held onto his jersey.
The brown casket was brightened by an array of flowers in all colors. A framed picture of Kyle stood on a stand, facing the audience. He looked so happy. It was right before a game; he was dressed in full uniform, his stick in his hand and his helmet in his other, a broad smile on his face. It couldn�t of been taken more than a month ago, from the way he looked.
Fran leaned against Taylor, and tried to watch as the casket descended into the ground. He did his best to comfort her, but all that she was letting was his arms around her. She looked down at his jersey, the �A� for assistant captain written on the left shoulder, his name and number printed on the back. She glanced at her teammates and they nodded. When the casket was into the ground, Fran kissed the logo on the jersey and tossed it into the chamber.
A local news crew was outside of the cemetery, waiting for the funeral to be over. Fran couldn�t understand why they were there. Were they really that desperate for a story that they had to pry on the lives of the innocent? Fran was outraged by them being there, and was already preparing her refusal if they asked for an interview. It wasn�t their business and Kyle wouldn�t have cared for him to be public in this way.
Tyler walked over and grabbed her hand, sharing her look of pain. Everyone there understood her pain, but Tyler knew more than anyone how she felt at that moment. The two of them�actually the three of them because Taylor was just as close to him� knew each other best and were the closest to Kyle.
Fran watched as the people began to leave. Her and her teammates stood there, not wanting to let go. It was impossible to just get up and leave, to keep Kyle here alone. It would be hard to not have him around anymore, not to hear his stupid remarks and beat the hell outta him. "Fran," Tyler said. "Let�s go."
"No," she said, and swiped at her tears. "I don�t want to leave him." Tyler gripped her hand. "Tyler�"
"Fran, let�s go." She glanced over at him. The pain on his face was clear. He didn�t want to leave either but he was forcing himself to do so. Every moment that she remained there was tearing at him and he needed to get away quickly. Finally, she showed a sign of prominent life and turned away. A fresh set of tears made their way down her face as the team said their final goodbye to Kyle Bronson.
Instead of going home, Tyler, Fran and Taylor went into Coach Curtis�s car and drove to the airport. Taylor�s family had already left to LA two days beforehand, and he had stayed behind only for the funeral. It hurt Fran even more to have to say goodbye to him again, and not have Kyle to cling onto. And to top it all of, Sally was going on a business trip the following day, so Fran would have to stay at Tyler�s.
The car ride was just another blurb in Fran�s life as she sat on Taylor�s lap and cried into his arms. Tyler sat in the front seat, gazing out the window. His eyes were baggy and black from the lack of sleep, as was Taylor and Fran�s. Everyone else had enough sleep, but that was because they weren�t in the car when it happened. It was rather pathetic, that the three of them walked out of there without a scratch, and Kyle ended up dead.
Taylor gently stroked Fran�s long blonde hair as she cried, not being able to contain the tears he was crying. Of course she was more out there than he was with it, but he figured it was the femininity in her that was showing now. Females often cried harder than males, and she hadn�t cried in a long time. Almost four years she had stayed a stone before her run-in with Austin, and she let loose for the first time. She wasn�t hysterical or anything, she was just whimpering a bit, but it was more than Taylor had expected.
Coach Curtis wasn�t in much of a state to be driving, him in a shocked state and all. But he knew he had to concentrate on the road and forget about what happened or they�d be attending yet another funeral, and the three kids in the car would never want to drive again. They were all fourteen, dammit, they were too young to be experiencing this sort of loss. And Fran of all people, with her father gone and all, her leg still a bit beat up, and now this, she was in a horrible condition.
He parked near the entrance to the airport, and the four piled out. Taylor�s things had been taken with his family so he didn�t have to worry about luggage. He had his carry-on backpack, but that was it. He held tightly onto Fran�s hand as they walked through the airport.
When they arrived at the gate, the boarding calls were just beginning. No time to dawdle, he had to leave. Taylor gave Tyler a sturdy hug, the sudden grief of the last few days immersing all of them. He also hugged Coach Curtis and turned to Fran. "I�ll be back as soon as I can. I�ve never done this before so I can�t tell you how long it�ll be. I�ll call when I get there." Fran nodded and looked away, more tears falling from her eyes. "Frenchie�"
"I know, I know." She looked at him. "You want to look at me before you leave. We�ve been through this before." He gave her a look. She tried to manage a smile but didn�t get anywhere. "I love you."
"I love you too." He gently kissed her. "I�ll try and speed things up. It�s gonna be one hell of a time." She nodded. "Goodbye, Frenchie. When I get back I want to see you playing again."
"I doubt it, but I�ll try. Goodbye." He walked off to the terminal and looked back before disappearing. Fran�s lower lip quivered slightly, but she caught it before any wail could escape her mouth. Tyler put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. She looked over at him. "Thanks."
"Everything�s gonna be alright. Let�s go." She nodded and they left.
"Fran, I�m sure you know what to do," Tyler said, passing her a puck. She caught it with her stick and proceeded to stand on her feet. It was a day later. Sally had already left and now the two were taking advantage of the beautiful March weather by trying to get Fran back on her skates. "Don�t pull that �I forgot how� shit."
"I was just teasing you," she said, and headed towards him. Suddenly her leg gave way and her back hit the ground. "Dammit." Tyler began to laugh as she sat up and rubbed the back of her head. "Hey, I haven�t been on these things for months, you shut up."
"But Fran, you used to be the best skater on the team!" Tyler said, mocking her. "I don�t think I�ve ever seen someone take a spill like that. One step and splat! There goes Fran. Come on, get up. You just stepped wrong." She stood up again and looked at the cement beneath her before trying it again. Once more, her leg gave way and she found the ground again. "That�s pathetic."
"Tyler, I don�t know what�s wrong with me. I used to skate better than I could walk, and now I can�t even move two feet." Tyler looked down at his stick and realized they wouldn�t be getting that far today. He dropped the stick and skated to her, helping her up.
"I�ll help you. And since I�m the strongest man in the world, we won�t have to worry about you falling." She gave him a look and grabbed his hand. He put his arm around her shoulders and slid her forward. Almost immediately she lost her balance as her leg gave way. He caught her and kept her standing. "I think I know what the problem is. Your leg is too weak to be on these things. We�re going to have to wait a little while."
"No, I can do it today. I�ve been walking for almost a week now, if I can walk, I can skate." She let go of him and fell onto the ground. "Well, maybe I can�t, but with your help I can."
"Fran, your leg is half the size of the other one, don�t make me have to pick you up and bring you inside." She sighed and grabbed onto him again. She glanced at the house just in time to see Coach Curtis�s face. He looked so upset to see her like this, not even being able to stand on the skates that were once a permanent extension of her legs. Quickly he disappeared and made Fran feel horrible.
"Oh God, Tyler, did you see the look on his face?" Fran asked. Tyler only nodded and held onto her shoulders once again. "I feel horrible, I can�t even stand up on these things, how the hell am I supposed to be able to skate on my own at 50 miles an hour and stop on my own free will?"
"It�s just going to take time, Fran. Everyone knows that. Once we get you going on these we�re going back to the rink and getting you back on the ice." Fran shook her head, putting her arms around his neck. He held onto her tightly. "Fran we need you, with Kyle gone now there�s nothing left for us to do."
"Don�t even mention Kyle, please�" Fran whispered, just the sound of his name bringing tears to her eyes. "I can�t think about him just yet."
"I know it�s hard, but we�re going to have to let go. He was just as close to me as he was to you. I�m having hell here but I know what I have to do. You just need to let him go, Fran." She pushed him away and fell to the ground again. This time, instead of getting up, she took off her skates and limped into the house. Tyler watched in dismay. She had been so dedicated to getting back on her feet and back on those skates, but it took one moment to change everything. Tyler plopped on the ground and thought.
Fran limped past Coach Curtis, ignoring his looks or anything he may have done, and made her way to her room that was up the stairs. She shut the door behind her and sank to the ground, tears filling her eyes. She silently cried as her thoughts returned to Kyle.
He was too young to die, he had too much to live for. Me, him and Tyler were going to play for the Detroit Red Wings and beat the shit out of everyone else in the world. We�d kill everybody with Kyle and my offense, and nothing would get past Tyler. Now there�s nothing left of that dream. It�s just me and Tyler�no Kyle. Tyler doesn�t play wing, we can�t make the best offense.
Fran looked down at her leg, exposed to the sun and light shining down onto the huge scar. It ran from her knee to the base of her ankle, a straight line with a ton of meaning. She was still on the pain medication, mostly because of she was walking, and walking too soon. She wasn�t really supposed to walk until the end of March, but that would be too late.
She hadn�t told anyone about the pain, but that was her anyway. She never told anybody about any pain, and she was just beginning to let up on the emotional shit. It hurt her more than anything else to cry in front of others, but the pain of not having Kyle around was more than unbearable.
A sudden knock at her door surprised her and she jumped slightly. She dried her eyes and stood up before opening the door. Coach Curtis stood there. "We�re going out to dinner tonight, where do you want to go?" Fran thought about it, then shrugged.
"I don�t care, I�m really not very hungry." He looked in her eyes, trying to probe deeper. It annoyed her, but she couldn�t say anything. That would be a bit too rude and she knew better than to be rude to the person who was giving her a home for a few weeks.
"You�re thinking about Kyle, aren�t you?" he asked. Fran looked away. "Fran I know you�ve been going through a lot lately, and the current situation of the most important people in your life isn�t making this any better. I just want you to be happy�"
"Happy? You want me to be happy?" Fran yelled. "My best friend is dead, the other one is in LA shooting a video that can only lead to him being gone all the time, my mother doesn�t give a flying fuck about me or my life! My father has been dead for four years now, I�m still not supposed to be walking and I can�t even stand up on my skates without my leg giving way because it�s too weak! You want me to be happy? Solve my fucking problems." She slammed the door and sank back down to the ground, crying again. She could hear Coach Curtis walking back down the stairs. She hoped he was going into the kitchen.
There was a small vent in the corner of the room. Tyler and her had figured out years before that they could hear any conversation going on in the kitchen if the vent was open. She opened the vent and waited for a conversation. Tyler was in the kitchen now, she realized when she heard him talking to Coach Curtis.
"Dad, I don�t know what to tell you about her. She�s messed up." Fran bit her lip. "She�s not like us, you know. She�s in a world of her own. Her whole life has been screwed, and the recent events have just made them worse." To hear Tyler speak of her like that made her cry even more.
"I know. When her mother gets home I need to talk to her. Fran needs some serious psychiatric help and we all know that. She�s just bundling up her pain and she isn�t getting any better. If she continues she�ll never get better and keep all her feelings to herself. I�m afraid she�s in some kind of depression right now."
"I heard her yelling at you. She vented a little but that was just anger. She need to show some kind of pain emotion. She�s just starting to cry now, but it�s not helping at all. I agree with you." No! Dammit Tyler, Fran screamed in her mind, but only cried on the outside. "She needs some help." Fran closed the vent with anger that sent the sound down the vent and possibly to the kitchen. Almost immediately she was afraid that they heard it, but eventually waved it off.
Fran limped over to the window sill and plopped herself down on it, her good leg pulled up to her chest and the other one hanging off the side of the sill. She looked out the window to the beautiful day and almost wished she�d never come inside. She couldn�t walk out there because she knew she�d have to pass the two of them and that wouldn�t be good. Her eyes fell on the street and she saw herself, years ago, playing hockey with Tyler and Kyle. That particular day was before everything, before her father died, and right before she�d met Taylor.
::Flashback, four years previous::
"I win again!" Fran yelled, waving her stick in the air and skating in a circle. "You guys must really suck if it�s just me against the two of you. And I�m a girl�"
"Oh Fran shut up," Kyle said, and knocked himself into her. The little three foot girl nearly fell to the ground, but Tyler caught her before her body hit the gravel. She gave a look to Kyle and playfully knocked back into him, nearly checking him into a tree. Unlike her, he actually fell to the ground.
Tyler and Fran began to laugh. Kyle stood and shook the dirt and dust off. "Come on, before Fran kills you, let�s go inside," Tyler commented. Kyle nodded and skated over to Fran, putting his arms around her. "Don�t get all mushy on us, guys."
"Well I do believe you were hanging on me yesterday, Tyler," Fran said. He shrugged. "You�re just jealous that Kyle got to me first." Tyler just skated away, Fran and Kyle close behind. Before Tyler got inside, Kyle had picked up Fran and slung her over his shoulder. She began to kick and scream, coming a bit too close to kicking him in the face with her skates. Tyler heard this and turned around.
"I got her! Get the Ginger Ale!" Tyler smiled and grabbed the cans of Ginger Ale he was storing in the garage, shaking both up and throwing one to Kyle, who set her down on the ground. She tried to get away, but nothing was really working with the two blocking her path. They began to douse her, carefully avoiding her skates and her hair. (They knew what hell it was to get it out)
A man with three boys was across the street, checking out the house and the land when they heard Fran screaming. They�d seen them playing hockey earlier, so he figured they were friends. The man saw her being doused in Ginger Ale and had to laugh. One of them looked around twelve and the other two couldn�t be any more than ten.
One of the man�s sons pulled on his arm to get his attention. "Dad, what are they doing over there?" he asked.
"Just looks like some kind of prank the two boys are pulling on that girl, Taylor." The man�s ten year old son looked over at them, a distant look on his face. The man recognized the look. "Why don�t you go over there and say hi? We�re going to be moving in this neighborhood anyway."
"Nah, they�re too involved in each other. I don�t want to bother them." Even with this statement, the boy still didn�t look away from the trio. His father sighed and looked back to the house. The one on the other street looked better.
"I think you have a fan, Fran," Kyle said, throwing the empty can of Ginger Ale into the garbage. "Hey, that rhymed, I should become a lyric writer or something." Ignoring his comment, Fran gazed over at the boy, who quickly looked away. "Go talk to him, they look like they may be moving in."
"Why don�t I?" Fran said, sarcastically. "Oh and while I�m at it, I�ll send off waves of Ginger Ale. I�m not going over there, I�m soaked!"
"He won�t care, you don�t smell or anything. You�ll just have to go straight home and take a shower." Fran shrugged and got up. "We�ll go with you. He�s just gonna admire from afar and we know how much you hate that."
"Fine." The three skated across the street, much to the surprise of the boy. "Hey!" Fran said. "You guys moving in?"
"Yeah," Taylor said, shyly. "Either here or on the other street." Fran nodded.
"Oh, might as well introduce myself. I�m Fran but call me something else cause I hate my name." Taylor smiled. "This is Tyler and that�s Kyle. Tyler lives right here. Kyle�s down a couple blocks and I�m the same but in the other direction."
"I�m Taylor." They shook hands and from that point on it felt like an instant friendship.
::End Flashback::
Fran hadn�t noticed the tears streaming down her eyes or the fact that Tyler was standing in the doorway, watching. Her head rested against the window, looking out into the street. Clouds were beginning to approach, thundering. A flash of lightning overtook the sky, but she barely noticed.
She sat there and Tyler watched until the clouds were overhead and rain began to fall. It slid down in pellets against the window, illuminating her face. The room had grown rather dark since the sun had been blocked by the clouds, and Tyler reached for the light. When the sudden brightness in the room came over her, Fran snapped out of her trance and looked over to Tyler. He sheepishly stared back at her.
"I heard you talking downstairs," she admitted. "I�m not crazy, there�s nothing wrong with me. I don�t care what you say, I�m not seeing anyone." Tyler walked over and sat down on the sill across from her. She looked back out the window, not really wanting to look at him now.
"I don�t understand you, Fran. We all know there�s a problem and you can�t just suppress it." She shook her head. "I just care about you, that�s all. I just want you like you used to be."
"And what was that like?"
"Carefree. Before Taylor, before your father died. Before my sister died. Before Kyle died. Before you shut yourself off from everyone but Taylor. I�ve known you a lot longer, I don�t believe how you trusted him so easily."
"Don�t go off on Taylor, you know how much I care about him. How many times had Kyle gotten a black eye because of what he said about Taylor?" Tyler smiled, thinking of Kyle and his free-spirited self. It was only a matter of time that his spirit would get too free for his own good. "Are you even upset about him dying at all? You don�t seem like it."
"I am," Tyler said, looking off into nothing. "Trust me, I am. I�m worse off than you are, I�m shutting myself off completely. Just help me out and help yourself. Please, Fran. I want you to get better. I�m just going through a phase, you�ve been like this for years."
"I know," Fran said, almost in a whisper.
"Just try and get better." She looked away, and slightly nodded as tears filled her eyes. That was all he needed.