One Week Later >>>
I heard a light knocking on my bedroom door, followed shortly by Miya walking in.
"Morning JJ. I thought I'd come and wake you up so you had plenty of time to get ready" She says, opening my curtains for me.
"Thanks" I say, climbing out of bed. Who am I kidding, I haven't slept all night, but I mean it's understandable considering it's the day of my mum's funeral.
"I'll be in the kitchen making breakfast. Shout if you need anything" Miya says before leaving my room. I get out my outfit for the day which consists of a black dress that has some lace at the top and some black dolly shoes. I also had a black leather jacket and a small black purse. I sighed to myself before going to have a shower. I took my time in the shower, letting the warm water was away all the sleepiness in my body. I washed my hair and body before jumping out and drying myself off. Wrapping myself in my new fluffy towel, I grabbed my hair dryer and dried my hair before straightening it. I then went and put on my dress.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I had to suck in the tears. I took a few deep breathes before putting some tissues, my headphone and my mobile into my bag. Then I made my way into the kitchen and put my shoes, jacket and purse on the table.
"You look lovely" Miya says, handing me a glass of water.
"Thank you...I wasn't sure about my hair though" I said quietly.
"Do you want me to style it for you, I have an idea that would go well with your outfit and keep it out of your face." Miya says, moving to lean next to me.
"Really? That would be great thanks" I said, as we made our way back into my room. Miya grabbed my brush and got to work. 10 minutes later she had finished. She had French braided my hair off to the side and put in a few swirls of hair.
"Thank you" I say, giving her a hug. I glance up at the clock as see that Tom and Josh will be here soon.
"You know, I can still get ready and come with you if you like?" She asks.
"Thank you...but I think I'm okay. I'll probably need some girl talk later though" I say, giving her a small smile. She nods her head and walks back out to the kitchen. A few minutes later the doorbell rings and I go to answer the door. I opened the door to reveal Tom, and Josh.
"Hey...come in" I say, giving them both hugs as they made their way inside.
"Ready to go?" Tom ask softly.
"Yeah, let me just grab my things" I say, running into the kitchen. I put on my jacket and grab my purse.
"Thank you...I'll see you later" I say, giving Miya a tight hug before leaving with Josh and Tom. I get into the back of Tom's car with Josh.  As Tom starts the drive to the cemetery, I look down at my shaky hands. Josh obviously notices as he reaches over and places his hand over mine and gives them a little squeeze. I look up at him and give him a small smile. We arrive at the cemetery a few minutes later and I get out the car. Tears start to fall as I see my mum's coffin all ready to be lowered into the ground. You see we choose to have just the burial as we didn't have a lot of people coming. Mum didn't have any family, so we only had friends at the funeral. Josh looped his arm around my waist as we walked over. I was constantly wiping tears away as the priest person started the service. It finally came to my turn to speak so I moved around everyone else to the front right next to the coffin.
"Ermm, well thank you all for coming. My mum, well- my mum was the best. We were always having a laugh together or being a shoulder to cry on. I love my mum and I always will" I collect the piece of paper out of my purse.
"*sniff* My mum always loved this poem, so I thought it would be nice to read it now..." I say, unfolding the paper and wiping my eyes.
"Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there...." I start to say but I start to cry again and can't finish. Tom notices and steps forward. He places his hand on my shoulder and with his other hand takes the paper. With the hand on my shoulder he pulls me into the side of his chest where I continue to cry with him holding my tightly as he reads the poem.
"Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning's hush, I am the swift uplifting rush. Of quiet birds in circles flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there. I did not die" Tom says beautifully, with tears in his own eyes.

Tom wraps his arms around me and we walk back over to Josh as the coffin gets lowered into the ground. Everyone else who is there takes a handful of dirt and throws it over the coffin. The priest says a few things before the service is over. We decided not to have anything afterwards as there aren't many people. I stay in Tom's warm embrace until I'm finally calm and have stopped crying.
"Let's get you home yeah?" Josh says, quietly.
"No...there's somewhere I want to go first" I say, before giving Tom the location as we all climb back into the car. Tom starts the short drive to the lake. This lake holds a lot of memories for me and me and my mum used to come here every weekend when I was younger. When we arrive, I walk with Josh ahead of Tom and show him to my favourite spot. It's a bench which sits under a huge tree that over-looks the whole lake. We all sit down on the bench and just sit in silence, taking in the nature and amazing views around us.

A few hours later, Tom drops me off at my foster home, and I change straight away. Jesse is upstairs with Rikki so me and Miya curl up on the sofa's in the living room and watch some TV whilst we talk. I tell her everything about my mum and all the great memories I had with her. It made me cry a lot, but I guess I need to cry to grieve. Today has been tough, but I know my mum will always be watching over me.