Epilouge
Mr. Richard Darling arrives first, he pushes a girl in a wheel chair. She's deteriorating. She can't walk anymore. It's only been two weeks since the death of her girlfriend. She can speak though and that's exactly what she intends to do today.
He pushes her so she's right next to the front row. She doens't expect too many people to show up today, but that doesn't matter. She knows that Tomie wouldn't have wanted a whole bunch of people here. That would be there were people that she didn't know.
Slowly, other people arrive.
Tomie's parents and her little brother are next. They don't look happy. Their daughter is dead and Mr. Darling is the one paying for this funeral. Cat insisted upon in.
Then her teacher, Mrs. George and her girlfriend show up.
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson don't look pleased about it. They don't know these people.
In the back room, is a scraggly looking man with bright blue eyes.
Mrs. Simmons comes next.
Then Jessica the secretary and her little daughter Mandy.
Cat waits. She expected all these people to come. She's waiting for someone else.
It's almost time to start. Are they coming? She doesn't know.
She waits.
Then, just as they are getting ready to start, a girl with black hair sneaks in the back row. Two boys follow her.
Cat smiles a little bit. Her girlfriend is dead, but she would have been happy with this. Kelly is here.
The priest talks a little bit, Cat isn't really paying attention to it. He didn't know Tomie.
Then her parents get up and they say a few things about when their little Jordana was a little girl. You hate that they call her Jordana because no one calls her that and she hated it.
Then it's Josh's turn.
He talks about how much he loves his big sister and how much he misses her. He's crying and some people in the auidience start to cry to. Cat doesn't cry. Not yet. She needs her voice to be as stedy as she can make it today. It's starting to slur. Everything is sotpping and she can't let it stop.
Then it's her turn. Mr. Darling wheels her up on stage.
"Tomie would be happy to see you all here," she says when she's on stage. Her speech isn't slurred yet. "Especially her friends in the back row. She was worried that you wouldn't show up."
They look surprised to here this. Cat keeps going.
"I loved Tomie, very much. I'll miss her greatly. I know all of you will too. She knew the end was coming before it did and she made sure she got everything done that she felt needed to be."
Except one thing.
"Tomie was an amazing person. She stayed with me at a time when I felt anyone in their right mind would leave. She helped me on so many levels."
Her speech is slurring. She stops talking. Mr. Darling wheels her back down. She's crying now. It's time to cry.
When the funeral is over, everyone leaves. Cat stays behind. She wants just a little more time with Tomie.
Kelly stays too.
She comes and she sits next to Cat.
"I wish I'd gone to the hospital," she says.
"I know," says Cat.
"I got her message, I just didn't respond. I didn't care. But then I got her phone message and by the time I realized what was going on she was gone."
"I know," says Cat. "I think she knew that too."
"Really?" says Kelly.
"I think," says Cat.
"I'm sorry I was mean to you," she says.
"I know," says Cat.
"How?"
"I don't know."
"I wish I hadn't told Tomie that we couldn't be friends. I miss her. She was my best friend. I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, I still thing this whole gay thing is unnatural, but so long as I didn't see her making out with you, I think I could have dealt with it."
"I'm sure you could have."
Then they sit there and cry because both of them really did love her.
"Tomie!" screams Cat happily.
"Cat!" says Tomie as Cat runs to her. They're in Neverland. Perry is over by the mermaid pool.
"Guess what?" she says happily.
"What?" asks her girlfriend.
"The mermaids, don't hate me anymore," she says and she's just so overjoyed by that. They stand there kissing for awhile.
"Ew," announces Perry and they break apart.
"Careful," says Tomie. "The pirates are going to come get you."
Perry shrieks and runs away. She hates the pirates.
"That was mean."
"Don't care."
"Of course not," says Cat, but she's smiling. They sit down on a rock and they chat and they snack and life is good. Everyone she cares about is here, except Mrs. George. Mrs. George is off living her life with her new beautiful wife.
Cat is so happy for them.
They have a picnic. Cat sits on the ground with Tomie and Perry and her dad and Ernie. They all get along now. Ernie and her dad didn't get along at first. Mr. Dunkle didn't exactly like that there was an old man hanging around his daughter. But he's gotten much better about it now. He talks to Ernie all the time. It makes Cat happy.
Cat's always happy now.
In the old hospital, Dr. Shakker pulls the plug. She isn't waking up this time. He's absolutely sure of it. Her brain is too far gone. Next to her bed, Angela and Isabelle George sit crying. Mr. Darling is on the other side of the bed and he comforts them best he can.
"She's in Neverland now," he tells them. "It's where she always wanted to be."