"Are you ready to go Sweetheart?" Easton questions as steps into the room I've been sleeping in for the last four nights.

I turn to face him and nod softly. He's dressed in a black suit and his hair is done neatly rather than it's usual messy style, he looks so nice. "You look nice."

"So do you." He takes my hand

I'm dressed in a simple black dress with some heels and a black jacket. My hair is down and natural with its slight curl. I haven't bothered for the last four days as I haven't left the house, but today I'm wearing some light make-up.

"Time to go already," I say taking a deep breath

"Do you need a moment?"

"No." I shake my head "I'm okay."

♠

We arrive at the chapel and there are people everywhere. As we reach the walkway I take a deep breath looking across at everyone scattered around. There are so many familiar faces, our entire year group appears to be here, I'm not surprised as Claire was always very popular with her bright and bubbly personality. Her family is here as well, not only Angie, Damon, and Caleb but her grandparents, aunts, and uncles, cousins and family friends. And not only are her old friends here, but all of our new friends are also here, Charlie, Zay, Evie, Leo, Romee, Reid, Emi, Amara, Shay, Lane, Chet, Amity, Jill, Jordan, everyone is here to celebrate her life.

Easton slips his hand into mine pulling me from my thoughts and I give him a soft smile. He squeezes my hand and I begin to walk through the crowds of people. On the way to the door, old school friends stop me and tell me how sorry they are.

Once we reach the door I make my way over Caleb and the family and give them all a long hug. A moment later the funeral director makes his way out and announces its time to fill the Chapel and find our seats.

"There is a seat for you at the front," Caleb says as he places his hand on my shoulder, then looks up towards Easton. "You to man." He nods and makes his way into the building.

♠

"Today we celebrate the very short, but very bright life of Claire Sophia Williams. The tragedy in which Claire was taken from all of you is exactly that, a tragedy and I pass on my deepest condolences to you all." The director begins.

The funeral goes on much the same as any other, the director speaks and tells stories about Claire's life, he shares words from family members who are unable to stand up and speak and we listen to one of her favourite songs.

Angie and Damon weren't able to speak as it was too hard for both of them. But really they didn't need to, because everyone in the room knows how much Claire meant to them, she was their world.

"I'd like to call on Caleb, Claire's brother to say a few words." The director steps back from the microphone.

Caleb stands and makes his way to the microphone, clears his throat and pulls out his paper from his pocket. "When I think of my sister, the first thing I think of is crazy. Crazy but in the best way possible. Whenever Claire was around, there was a smile on everyone's face, she had a light within her that lit up every room she walked into. She was smart, beautiful, kind, and the most amazing friend anyone could ask for." He clears his teary throat.

"She was the kind of person who could make you smile even in the middle of your worst day, the kind of person who knew how to make everything better with a simple hug or some wise words. As her older brother, I can't help but feel like I let her down that night, I can't help but feel I should have done something to protect her better, but I know she wouldn't want me to think that way, she wouldn't want any of us to think that way." His eyes shoot down to me, then back out at everyone.

"I have so many stories I could tell, but she'll probably haunt me down and kill me." He laughs "So I'll leave it with this." He clears his through "Claire, I'm sorry for the times I was mean to you, I'm sorry for the times I wouldn't let you play with me and my friends, and I'm sorry for the time I cut all of your dolls hair off." He laughs through his tears. "but believe me when I tell you, I love you so much and I always will. I will miss you every single day, for the rest of my life." He begins to sob and moves away from the microphone, finding his seat next to me once again.

I throw my arms around him and stroke his back softly, trying my best to hold it together as It's my turn to speak next.

"I'd now like to call on Claire's best friend Aubrey to speak."

I let go of Caleb and stand up from my seat making my way to the microphone. I look back out towards him, and can't help but feel my heart fill with the smallest amount of happiness when I spot Easton comforting him, and Caleb allowing it.

"I feel like the number of people in this room speaks volumes about the kind of person Claire was. She was fun, loving, outgoing and always there to put a smile on your face. Claire and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember and I can tell you all honestly, that I wouldn't be the person I am today if I didn't have her in my life." I feel the tears starting and try to blink them away.

"They say in life each person is provided a guardian angel, well I'm pretty sure Claire was mine." The tears begin to fall. "Claire was there for me through the hardest time in my life, she never once complained, she never once left my side and she never once gave up on trying to help me. Because of Claire, I had a home, I had a family and I had one person who would never leave my side." I take a step back from the microphone as my emotions become too much and try and clam myself.

Easton stands from his chair and makes his way up, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and whispers. "Keep going Sweetheart, you're okay, I've got you."

I rest my head against his as I cry and run my hand up his arm holding onto him as I take a step back towards the microphone. "Claire meant something different to everyone in this room but to me, she meant the world. I will never meet another person like her for as long as I live and there won't be a day that passes by where I don't think about her or miss her, or wonder what our lives would have been if she was still here. I know that in spirit, just like she was in life she will forever be my angel and everyone else in this rooms as well."

I take a step back and with Easton's arm still around me

As the funeral concludes 'If I die young' begins to play and a slide show of photos begins to play on the screens. They start from the day she was born right through to today, hundreds of photos one after the other and in every single one she has a smile on her face. Watching the images I cry, even in the ones of the two of us, where we're smiling and laughing, it breaks me.

Easton keeps his arms wrapped around me the entire time, not leaving my side. As the last slide moves across the screen a video of Claire and I begins to play, it's her bringing out the crazy, young, fun side of me. Both of us dancing while she films. "Never be afraid to be happy, never be afraid to be who you are, never be afraid to dance like no one is watching, live your life to it's fullest every single day." She speaks to the camera before the screen goes black.

...

"You did so well honey, she'd be proud of you." Shay says as she holds me in a tight embrace. The entire Raven family standing around us.

Shay pulls back from the hug and Lane steps in wrapping his arms around me. "Whatever you need, we're here." He assures me.

This goes on for some time, every single one of them giving me hugs and kind words. I don't know what I did to deserve to have them all in my life, but I'm glad they're here.

After the funeral, everyone made their way back to Easton's place where the wake was being held. Security was amped up to the max and we had people running around the house all morning, cleaning and cooking huge amounts of foods.

Things between Easton and I have been pretty icy for the last couple of days. Although I've been staying with him, we've been staying in different beds and hardly spoke a word to each other. He is always on his phone ordering people around, and I'm always left in the dark about everything, no one will tell me the real reason I'm staying here, and why Caleb, Damon, and Angie are with Charlie.

We arrive back to the house before everyone else and Easton makes sure everything is in place. A short time after everyone joins and the backyard is packed with everyone sharing stories about Claire. The dynamic is so much nicer now, everyone is sharing happy memories, they're smiling, laughing, just the way Claire would have wanted it.

I make my way around and talk to a few people, it's nice to see Angie and Damon smile for the first time almost a week, it's nice to see them sharing in happy memories with their friends and family.

I look for a quiet place to sit for a moment and spot Caleb and Romee sitting together talking. She has her hand on his leg and she's talking to him with a smile, he nods his head and finally smiles back then kisses her on the cheek.

Aww, is this the start of something?

I make my way back into the house and up the stairs, to the room I've been staying in. I pull off my heels and place them down by the wardrobe, then sit on the edge of the bed. Emotions sure know how to take a toll on your body, I'm exhausted.

The bedroom door opens slowly and I turn to see Easton. "I just wanted to check you're okay."

"I'm okay." I nod "Just tired, I think the no sleep is catching up with me."

"Why don't you have a lay down for a while? I'm sure no one would blame you."

"Will you stay with me?" I question "You know, lay with me for a while."

"Of course" He nods and pulls off his suit jacket and loosens his shirt.

I wriggle up the bed and rest my head on the pillow, Easton then joins, and places a blanket over us, before laying down next to me, and pilling me into his arm. "I promise you, I'm always going to be here for you for as long as need me." He kisses the top of my head

"What if I need you forever?"

"Then I'll be by your side of the rest of our lives."