With the silence a deafening roar in my ears, I sat on the front bench of the funeral home's chapel. After I'd survived the family and friends viewing, I had escaped from the crowd to be alone. I knew that I needed to be standing with Ansel beside Daddy's casket, greeting those who had come to pay their respects. But after seeing him all laid out in his finest suit with the slightest smile on his lips, the fissure holding me together cracked even further.
I had to be alone, or else I was going to start screaming at the top of my lungs.
Everett had grabbed hold of my arm as I raced from the room. “Wait, cuz."
Shaking my head furiously, I replied, “I have to get out of here."
“Want me to take you somewhere on my bike?"
Although the offer was tempting, the responsible side of me knew I n
