[center][h1][color=sienna]Jaxon Nowak[/color]
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As Summer forced a smile his way, Jaxon wondered if he made a mistake coming up to her and starting a conversation. As he thought about it some more, he began to doubt himself. She had only asked him if she would see him there, not that she had hoped or wanted to see him there. Maybe she was just being polite earlier and now he was bothering her like the idiot he was.

He was about to murmur a quick goodbye to escape from the awkwardness he caused, when Summer broke the silence.

It was an off-handed question. She probably didn’t mean anything by it, but Jaxon’s face subconsciously tightened. The only person in the world that knew Jaxon was powered was gone now. There was no way Summer would know about his abilities. Unless, Austin might have told her before he passed. He didn’t know what to say so instead of saying anything, he focused his gaze hard on the crowd and gave a mere [color=sienna]”Mm.”[/color] as a response. He rubbed his sweaty palms on his dark jeans to dry them before shoving them back in his coat pocket. 

Fortunately, Summer changed the subject and Jaxon was able to breathe a little more freely again. [color=sienna]”Yeah, no problem. It was a simple fix, but let me know if you are having any issues.”[/color] He tried to follow her gaze as she turned back to face the crowd. She joked morbidly about Austin actually being alive and popping out of nowhere to surprise them, but there was an undeniable sadness in her voice. Part of her probably still hoped that was the case. Hoping for the impossible was always an unbearable burden. If he was wittier a person, he would have a response. Something to lighten the mood and maybe make her smile for real. But he wasn't. So instead, he stood there silently next to her as they continued to watch the other mourners. 

Austin's parents were there and the sight of them gutted Jax. Mrs. Witten tried her best to hold her head high so that she could greet and thank the other mourners for coming, but every once in a while, she would seek comfort in Mr. Witten's arms and let out a sob. Mr. Witten's expression was stone-cold, but Jaxon saw the gentleness he used when comforting his wife. He was doing his best to be strong enough for the both of them, yet the redness in his eyes revealed his grief. 

[color=sienna]"I'm going to pay my respect,"[/color] he said, letting his voice trail off. What he didn't say aloud, he hoped she understood. [i]"You can come with me if you want. We both don't have to be alone."[/i] 

He made his way toward the Wittens and gave Mrs. Witten a soft, [color=sienna]"Sorry for loss,"[/color] while he and Mr. Witten exchanged some solemn nods. As he approached the open casket, he felt his leg grow heavy. Why did they have to do an open casket?The idea of seeing Austin's body was almost too much. He couldn't do it. At least, not alone.