The #life Of Hugo June 13 1997 Dear Whoever is listening, it has been 3 months since it happened. At first I had to have therapy because mum said I turned strange. I have learnt to block out those thoughts just like I blocked everyone else out. Once it happened I stayed in my room a lot - I didn't want to go out. I spent a lot of time in hospital until one day in April, Sam's dad visited me and told me the funeral was on the 23rd. He also told my parents in case I forgot. That's when things started to get better. I had never been to a funeral before, it was a bright morning of April 23rd. I remember I cried endlessly until I never thought I'd be happy again. Luckily mum cradled me like a baby in the church as I flooded her lap with tears. Dad was not there as always, mum said he left us when I was very young so I've never really known him, although in my head he's always been fat with a moustache and pointy brown shoes. Mum said he was a lovely man but she felt motionless the day he left her, a bit how I felt at Sam's funeral. Sam was always fun to be around with his quirky nature, I remember he always wore one stripy coloured sock and one grey sock so the teachers couldn't tell him off for not wearing any grey socks at all. He made me laugh but sometimes, when we were around others he would go all quiet and frown as if he were thinking hard, yet if you tried to talk to him he would not reply. Just like I was at Sam's funeral. It was cold outside when they lowered the black box into the ground, yet I felt peaceful and for the first time in months, I smiled. It was then I knew that things were going to get better, despite the tearful faces surrounding me. That evening I came out of my room the first time and sat with my mum and my sister Annie. She has very slender fingers I noticed as she flicked through the channels on TV. She's 17 and she gets a lot of male attention at her school, (which I will go to this year because there was enough space for me for the past two years) although she never has a boyfriend nowadays because she says she has "high standards". She decided this after her first boyfriend, Smarmy Joe. They dated for about a month until he cheated on her with some girl called Susan in the year above. He said that Annie wasn't mature enough for him even though they were the same age. I've never dated anyone, but when the time comes, I too will ensure I have high standards on the basis I don't want to end up with someone like Smarmy Joe. I have written this to tell you how I am getting on, since Sam died. Love, Hugo