A few weeks had passed and Val was over at Ethan's house everyday. She needed to make sure Kris was okay. Val took Kris to the movies every Friday to keep up the tradition. Val wore Ethan's shirts almost everyday because they still smelled like him. Kris wore Ethan's favorite jacket everywhere, even to sleep. Sometimes Val would stay the night at that house and sleep in Ethan's bed to feel closer to him.
One day, Val hung out with Dylan. They went to the movie theater on Friday together since Kris wasn't able to. After the movie, they got to talking about Ethan.
They were outside on the bench that was outside of the theater. "He will love that movie," Dylan said. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't use past tense for Ethan.
"Yeah. He would've loved it so much," Val said looking down.
"I remember one time, before you came along, we were in like third grade I think and we snuck into our first R rated movie. Has he told you about that yet?" Dylan asked.
Val just looked at Dylan before speaking, "Yet? He can't fucking tell me because he's not fucking here! God you're acting like you don't even care! He's dead, Dylan!" She stood up as she yelled.
Dylan stood up and yelled, "Yes I know he's fucking dead! I read the letter he fucking sent me! I lost my best friend of nine fucking years, okay?! Can you say the same?! I know he was the love of your life, but he was my brother!" Tears began to well up in Dylan's eyes, but he tried to blink them away. "I'm sorry if me not knowing how to fucking cope is such a goddamn problem!" And just like that, he fell to the ground, sobbing. "I miss him so fucking much," he sobbed. He tried to stop himself, but he couldn't.
Val took him in her arms, "I know you do, I know. I do too," her voice cracked, "I'm sorry I yelled."
"He asked me not to shut down in the letter, but I still fucking did. He told me it's okay to cry, but I didn't listen," Dylan cried.
Mrs. Flynn had done what Ethan asked; she checked in on Val. She helped her with her anorexia and issues at home. Mrs. Flynn and Val grew close. They were able to talk about Ethan.
