"Hello?" Lucy said brightly as she answered the telephone, trying to stifle her giggles at Jude continued to tickle her.

"L-Lucy?" Her mother's familiar voice rang through the other line. Her mother sounded sullen, which meant that this news could only be about... Max. Lucy paused and waved off Jude, who reluctantly stopped.

"Mom?" Lucy said softly. "Mom...what's wrong?"

"I-I just don't understand why he decided to go back. I mean, he knows it's hell out there, and I always thought he was so much smarter and..and.." Mrs. Carrigan was rambling, and Lucy knew her mother only rambled on like that was something was very, very wrong.

"Mom, just tell me." Lucy's eyes began to fill with tears. Jude looked at her with a worried expression.

"Um, we...we got a letter today." Mrs. Carrigan caught her breath. "It's about Max."

--

Jude and Lucy held each other close as they walked into the funeral home. Lucy's face was red and puffy. Jude, who hadn't spoken in days, just had a sullen look in his eyes. Sadie, JoJo, and Prudence followed, slowly, with the same sullen, lost expression that Jude and Lucy had. They all had the same question on their minds: What if Max hadn't decided to go back? What if he had stayed? What would they be doing right this second?

The funeral was expensive and filled with people Lucy hardly remembered. Maybe it was because her roommates were the only people she had preferred to be around for the past few years. Lucy finally saw her mother, who was crying on her father's shoulder. Her sister, Julia, just sat alone in a chair, and when somebody would try to talk to her, she wouldn't respond in any way.

Lucy tugged on Jude's hand and said, "I'll be right back."

She went over to her parents. In all honesty, she hadn't seen them in three years. She never felt the need to visit them. Her life in Massachusetts was something that hardly existed anymore. Daniel was a far off memory. Emily and all of her other friends had grown up and lived the lives they chose, the same way Lucy did. None of it really mattered to her anymore.

As these thoughts exited her mind, Lucy took a step closer to her parents and hugged them. For a moment, they just held each other. Lucy thought that maybe, just maybe this could make everything feel like home again. But "home" just isn't home when you're coming for your brother's funeral. And Lucy knew that without him, not even the warmest hug from her parents could ever make anything the way it was.

When she pulled away, she walked over to her sister, and touched her shoulder. Julia looked up at her and offered a small, sad smile, before turning back to stone.

Lucy made her way back to Jude, who held her tight. Together, they joined Sadie, JoJo, and Prudence, and without a second thought, they all embraced each other. Sadie weeped on JoJo's arm, Prudence clenched Lucy's hand, and for a second, they all shared the same tears, the same feelings, and it felt like Max was right next to them.

When they pulled apart, they realized that if Max were here, this would've been the time that he would offer up a silly joke that would break the silence.

They waited.

Silence.

--

Four hours later, everyone was long gone, except for Lucy, Jude, and their friends. The Carrigans left as quickly as they could, and after that, everyone just faded off.

So the five of them sat in the empty church, all staring the same picture of Max that was displayed on the wall. It was Prudence who stood up first and walked to the front and said, through a face full of tears, "Max...you'll always be the guy who made me cry laughing. You'll always be the guy who knew the right thing to say, even if it took me awhile to realize it. And, I..maybe, I could've even been in love with you...look, what I'm trying to say is, just because you're not here physically doesn't mean we can't all feel your presence. We still hear your laugh. Our memories of you will never fade. And you'll always be...Max."

Prudence smiled cautiously at everyone's tearful faces as she went back to her seat. It was Lucy who gave her an appreciated smile.

Jude walked up next. "Maxwell Carrigan...my best friend. My confidante. You don't need me to describe how much I'll miss you. And how much I already do." Jude smiled ruefully as a teardrop rolled down his face. "Do you remember the time that we got wasted on the rooftop? And we just...we just told each other everything. I confided in you who I truly loved." Jude's eyes trailed towards Lucy. "And you told me about the best and worst expiriences in your life. And without you, god, who knows where I would be right now? You've gotten me into so much trouble.." Jude smiled sadly. "And for that, I can't thank you enough. You taught me how to live. I love you, Max."

He stepped down and went back to his seat next to Lucy. She held his hand and smiled at him.

Sadie went up. "When I first met you, I figured you were just another college student on the run, trying to escape the 'perfect' life. And then, I got to know you. I found out that you were possibly the craziest kid I've ever met. You would always steal my clothes, and sometimes, it just drove me insane...but you completed me. You completed us. Sometimes, I think about what life would've been like if you hadn't answered to my ad. If you had decided to go somewhere else. And every time I think about that, I cry. You're probably the best thing to ever happen to me, kid. I just want you to know that."

She wiped her tears as she went back to her seat, and Lucy went up. She was the most hysterical. When she calmed down, she said,

"Well, obviously, I have countless memories: the time we egged Mr. Malroy's house, the time we built the fort in the back yard..there's plenty. But the one I remember the most is when you stayed on the phone with me for three hours after Daniel died. I just felt so alone. I felt like I had nobody to talk to...but then, all I had to do was call you, my only brother, and you made me laugh and forget all about the pain I was feeling. And when you picked me up at the train station, jumping into your arms was the best feeling in the world." She tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear. "I've changed. A lot. I went from being this naive, sheltered girl to a young woman who looks back on her young mistakes with a silly smile. I learned not to take life so seriously, but not to take it for granted. And you were the one who taught me that. You'll always be my hero." Lucy's eyes filled with tears as she cracked out, "I love you."

Lucy sat down, and all eyes went to JoJo, who was fiddling with his acoustic guitar. When he finally went up, he said, "Max, I always told you that I never really had a way with words. That I worked better when I just wrote music. So, I wrote this for you.."

JoJo strummed a beautiful note on his guitar and began to sing.

And if I say I really knew you well, what would your answer be?

If you were here today..here today.

Well knowing you, you'd probably laugh and say that we were worlds apart.

If you were here today..here today.

Well as for me, I still remember how it was before.

And I am holding back the tears no more.

Ooh..I love you..

What about the time we met, I suppose that you could say that we were playing hard to get.

Didn't understand a thing, but we could always sing..

What about the night we cried, because there wasn't any reason left to keep it all inside.

Never understood a word.

But you were always there with a smile.

And if I say I really loved you, and was glad you came along.

If you were here today

For you were in my song.

Oh..here today..

Everyone was taken aback by how beautiful his song was. And they all sat in silence, together, and they all just held hands.

Maybe they didn't know exactly where Max was. With his devious and playboy ways, he could be slumming it up down below. But with his golden heart and kind soul, he could be waiting to get into the pearly gates..

Or maybe he was somewhere in between, sitting right next to Lucy in the pew, waiting to break the silence with another joke.