Not me changing the chapter title like 20 times. I can be so indecisive sometimes chilé

🎶 But every time
I think about your pretty smile
And how we used to drive the whole city wild 🎶

Chapter Thirty One

Serayah had died in April and by the time Severin was out of jail, it was August 24th.

He didn't want anyone to have the funeral without him, also requesting that people had worn turquoise at the funeral instead of black because that was Serayah's favourite colour.

When it was closer to the funeral date, both of Serayah's parents had flown from their holiday back to San Diego, with no one knowing that Severin was guilty for it.

Serayah's funeral had taken place in the church that Severin and Layla Grace had gone to - with Layla Grace also not knowing that Severin was guilty for this.

He just wasn't ready to tell her anything, and when Layla had asked people where Severin was as she hadn't seen him in a long time, they told her:

He got arrested because there was a terrorist attack in the room we were in, DeVante had lied to her. The real terrorists had gotten away whilst the police had arrested Severin instead as we were trying to escape.

But Severin's not guilty so why was he okay with getting arrested?

When he tried to defend himself, the police didn't want to hear it, Jordan Francis had added: this conversation was back in May. They also said no one could visit him and he was coming out the day before Serayah's funeral.

They didn't want to tell her the truth because losing Serayah and having her brother in jail at the same time was too much for anyone to handle.

And Severin being responsible for him being in jail, despite the rest of them telling Layla Grace otherwise?

Nah, Layla Grace wasn't ready for that.

Alicia Keys was currently finishing up singing the lyrics to her song Girl Can't Be Herself, and she was the guest singer for the funeral.

Other songs sung by her today (her song or not) had included We Need A Resolution by Aaliyah, with DeVante rapping Timbaland's part, I'll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy, Back To Black by Amy Winehouse and then some.

Alicia was also at the retreat signing autographs, with Severin wanting DeVante, Solana, Katari and Jordan Francis to somehow get Alicia to sing at the funeral as she was one of Serayah's favourite singers when she was still alive.

This was all said before he had gone to jail.

'Cause when a girl can't be herself no more
I just wanna cry, I just wanna cry for the world
When a girl can't be herself no more
I just wanna cry, I just wanna cry for the world

People had clapped for Alicia as she had finished the song, then she had made an announcement.

"That was my song Girl Can't Be Herself," she had explained to the crowd, wearing all turquoise, or something close to turquoise if they didn't have anything in that specific colour.

"You know, normally it's about girls not being able to be themselves due to what society says they should be - even if they don't want to be it. This one hits deep though. Serayah is a girl who can't be herself. Because she's dead..."

There was a intermission on the singing for now as more people had come in, but music was still played.

It just wasn't sung by anyone anymore.

Well now I've been down and lonely
I wish if only
The whole world could feel my vibe
We all need one simple reason
Something to believe in
I know that I've got mine

Even Serayah's coffin was turquoise.

Which was actually spray painted a few times because turquoise coffins didn't really exist like that, but at least she had one.

DeVante was the only one from Jodeci who was coming to this funeral as the rest of them didn't really know Serayah like that.

Everybody coming to the funeral had to apparently give Serayah a eulogy of some sort, so what was the point of the rest of Jodeci coming here and not giving her one?

As Serayah's parents were running late due to a lot of traffic, Severin and DeVante were the ones people had said sorry for your loss to when they had arrived at the funeral.

Right now, the two of them were right in front of Serayah's shrine as everybody else they had met at the retreat were sitting down instead.

Both of Serayah's parents were only arriving to San Diego today even though Serayah had died ages ago because they went to a place where everyone's summer was their winter.

Due to this, the weather was so bad that planes were cancelled for three months and a bit.

Why didn't they just go to a place where everyone's summer was their summer too?

Because as it was winter in their country (Alaska), less people would have gone as the country would have been colder.

So less money, plus it was for a business trip anyway.

"You okay?" DeVante had asked Severin as both of them were wearing turquoise tuxedos and more than enough people had already told them sorry for your loss today.

There was also a book where guests had to sign their names and write anything they wanted to write about Serayah - minimum a sentence.

Maximum three.

Severin didn't reply for a while as he had just shrugged.

Then he sighed.

Then he shook his head almost like his life had depended on it.

"Of course I'm not okay, DeVante. My girlfriend is dead."

He was even going to add and it's all my fault at the end but he really did not need a lecture from DeVante to be more positive right now.

Maybe he would have understood he was hurting but even then, Seven didn't want to dwell on that at the moment.

But he did know he was hurting.

"I thought she was your ex girlfriend."

Severin had looked at him dead in the eye before saying anything else.

"Doesn't matter. She's dead either way."

It was times like this that Severin had realised that despite her annoyingness, Serayah actually wasn't always that bad.

He had remembered about this time last year when Severin had bought her a necklace and she was admiring herself in the mirror.

"Oh my gosh, Severin. It's beautiful. This is such a lovely birthday present, thank you so much!" Serayah had gasped when she had seen herself in the mirror, smiling.

The necklace had a cross on it which didn't just symbolise their faith in God but also the amazing times they had in church together, with or without Layla Grace.

That wasn't the only thing that Severin had gotten Serayah for her birthday though, there was something else he had gotten her.

"Whoa, another present? You sure?"

He winked at her but he didn't say anything else except from doing that.

"I hope you didn't spend too much money on me. Seems like you did."

"Doesn't matter. You're worth it regardless. And I know we may have our ups and downs but I really do love you a lot."

His second birthday present from him to her was a gold tiara with her name on it.

Never in Severin's life had he seen Serayah's eyes beam so much.

"Severin this is beautiful."

She was even going to say that she couldn't possibly have accepted it but hello?

Was she crazy?

Her man just got her a tiara with her name on it. That had rarely happened to people.

"Like you."

She had hugged him and he had done the same thing, that was until she had said that Severin had held on as she had done something.

He didn't know what she wanted to do, but then when he had seen her get her phone, he rolled her eyes.

"Y'all, look what my man got me for my birthday!" Serayah teased on Instagram. "Y'all see this! Y'all see this?!"

She just had to go round boating didn't she?

Of course she did.

Boasting and posting on Instagram in general was her expertise.

On normal days Severin would have told her not to flaunt on social media but today he had just shrugged it off, smiled and moved on.

Then he realised.

He gasped.

No.

"Tomorrow would have been Serayah's 26th birthday!" He had muttered after that flashback, beating himself up for not remembering this before.

"That's okay, we can figure something out," DeVante soothed, only for Severin to receive a big slap from Serayah's mum as she had arrived.

She had known that Severin was responsible for Serayah's death despite what other people had told them.

"You useless unemployed chicken! My one and only child is dead because of you! That should be you in that stupid turquoise coffin right now instead of Serayah!"

So Serayah being dramatic most of the time was actually a genetic.

Made sense...

"Gloriana, I know you're upset but taking it out on Severin won't help you or anyone else," Serayah's father Lombardo had warned her.

They were Hispanic, with Gloriana eyeing Severin up and down as she had sat down with her husband somewhere before the funeral had begun.

Sadly enough for Severin, his sister had eavesdropped on the conversation, but then again- they were pretty loud after all.

How many people had heard them?

A few, with DeVante backing Severin up by telling everyone that she was loco and she didn't know what she was talking about.

Layla Grace didn't even go up to him and yell at him that he had killed Serayah. She had just told him that she wanted to talk to him.

"About what?"

"You'll find out." Layla Grace had muttered through gritted teeth, not believing the fact that she had actually believed Severin's roommates when they had told her why Severin was in jail in the first place.

Severin didn't even have a choice on whether he wanted to follow her or not because she was tightly holding his arm and she had walked with him across the church.

He was in trouble now and he knew it.

He didn't need telling twice.

It was just lowkey common sense.