Sunday was almost over and Jodi still had not received a call from Stacy. Jodi stayed in her room after dinner and was thinking about her friend. Hoping Stacy was okay, hoping that she would be at school on Monday morning. Jodi’s mother stood in the doorway of her room, “I need to talk to you”, said her mother. Her mother sat on Jodi’s bed and said, “Stacy got hurt, someone hurt her really bad and she is gone. You won’t be able to see her anymore”. “Where did she go’? Jodi asked. Her mother’s reply was one Jodi couldn’t accept. “She went to live with the Lord”, her mother told her. “You’re wrong; she is at her grandma’s house” she cried. Her mother sat and told Jodi what had happened to Stacy. Jodi’s mother didn’t want Jodi to hear about it for the first time at school. Her mother told her how Stacy was found; raped and hanging in a barn. Nobody knew who had done it and the killer was still out there.
On Monday Jodi woke up and got ready for school. She stood at the bus stop with Andy and waited for the bus. The bus arrived and the door swung open, but Jodi just stood there and looked at the bus. She always sat on the bus with Stacy and now she was dead; murdered. “Let’s go”, said the driver. Jodi threw her backpack on the ground and ran back to her mother who was standing on the porch. Jodi refused to get on the school bus. Her mother had to drive Jodi and Andy to school.
There was news crews all over the school; all reporting about the death and brutal murder of a nine year old girl. It was their big story, but it was Jodi’s best friend. She hid behind her mother as they walked to her classroom. Her best friend was gone and she would never see her again. This was something that couldn’t be changed, you couldn’t go back and repeat that dreadful day and change the outcome of it. Not like Jodi was able to change the outcome of her first year in first grade.
Jodi sat quiet in the back seat of the car as her grandmother drove her, her mother, Josh and Andy to Stacy’s layout. “Jodi, you have to remember her by who she was and not by what happened”, her grandmother said. Josh tried to get Jodi to smile, but his repeated attempts failed. He leaned over and put his arm around her. “I don’t want to take her to see this”, her mother said as they pulled into the funeral home. The funeral home was packed, there was a long line that came out the front entrance, across the porch, down the steps, along the sidewalk and ended at the road. As Jodi climbed out of the car her heart began to race. Her mother grabbed her hand, “Are you okay” asked her mother? Jodi shook her head yes and they all began to walk towards the funeral home. They were stopped by a news crew just as they crossed the road. “Was your daughter a friend? Can we interview you”, asked a male reporter? Jodi’s mother looked down at her and shook her head yes, “but you can’t film my daughter”. Her mother did the interview and they turned and got into the long line to say their goodbye. Finally it was their turn. Only Jodi and her mother walked up to the casket. As Jodi approached the casket she just stared at her friend laying there lifeless, tears began to roll down her cheeks. Stacy had on a dress that had pink flowers and a white turtle neck with some lace. Her face was covered in make-up that made her cheeks look rosy. “Why would someone do that”, Jodi asked her mother. “I don’t know honey”, her mother replied. Jodi just stood there and stared at her friend. It’s a part of life that things change, nothing ever stays the same. People are born and people die; and some just hideaway inside themselves. The very imaginative little girl, who was strong-willed and good-natured, was never seen again.
The sweet loving child that Jodi use to be was no longer there; she became me. Jodi use to live inside of me, now I am a child that is lost and confused as if I have no identity. I trusted nobody, and avoided everyone that I could. At family events such as Christmas I chose to sit in the car and be alone. I closed myself off from the world and slowly distanced myself from my friends. I no longer played outside; I kept myself locked up in my room. I always claimed I didn’t feel well and I started getting into trouble at school and at home. It’s also when I began self mutilation. That is wehre I'm going to conclude my story. There is a lot more but a bit much to put on here. Thanks
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