365 Days

PrettyLittleEmotions

Chapter One: 365 Days

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Rating: Mostly T.

Authors Note: I had a vision and thought I would give it a try. This chapter is a little fast paced, but if you guys like it, and I continue it will get better. Mistakes are mine. I try and fix the ones I find, but sometimes I do not catch them all.

Have you ever went to bed feeling like you held the world in the palm of your hands? Like all of your dreams were coming true and your happily ever after was only one page away. Then you fall into a nightmarish dream, and the next day you wake up feeling like you've been on a nonstop roller-coaster all night.

If you haven't then you're lucky.

I use to be one of the lucky ones too. I had everything I ever wanted within arm's reach. I was a straight A student, soon to be captain of the Sharks (varsity swim team), I held the best swimming record in the state, and after the end of my senior year I had a full ride to Stanford with the love of my life riding shot-gun the entire way.

I had it all...until I didn't.

May 23, 2014

It was the last week of junior year and despite the season being over coach had all of her returning athletes in the pool for some last-minute drills before tryouts the following Saturday. For most of team it was unnecessary practice, but for three of us, it was the last chance to score brownie points from coach before she chose next season's captain.

"You know for being one of the fastest swimmers in the state your technique is lacking."

It was the first thing I heard after finishing one of relays I was having with one of the others girls, normally it wasn't something I would just let go, but because I recognized the voice immediately I couldn't help but roll my eyes and allow a smirk to make its way across my face.

"You know for being the most beautiful woman to have ever walked this earth you're kind of annoying." I replied my goggles off to get a better look at the gorgeous girl standing in front of me.

It was the one and only Emily Fields, one of my biggest competitor, and the girl who turned my world upside down with a simple little kiss one night after JV swim practice. She was holding a bottle of Gatorade in one hand and my lucky towel another.

She rolled her eyes and extended her hand to help pull me out of the water before wrapping the towel around me from behind and pressing a quick kiss to my cheek.

"Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?"

"Take it as a compliment and give me another kiss, and this time make it snappy." I puckered my lips only to get a hand shoved in my face.

I stepped back and glared at the beautiful brunette in front of me.

"Don't start demanding things of me yet, we still don't know who made captain, and for all we know you just might be looking at her."

"Damn, only I would be so lucky." She smiled prettily, and I wrapped my arm around her thin waist leading her into the locker room before coach called practice. We still had another hour left in the pool, but I was sure coach was going to make me captain whether I stuck around or not.

"Shouldn't you get back in the pool?" She asked pulling her swim cap off, letting her long auburn locks fall across her beautifully tanned shoulders. "I thought you wanted coach to see that you cut two seconds on your butterfly."

"I did, but my dad invited her over for dinner tonight so I figured I'd show her later without any distractions. Right now I just want to take my gorgeous girl to grab a bite to eat before she blows me off to study for a test we all know she's going to ace."

"I cannot help that I am not brilliantly smart like some people. I need to study." I leaned back against my locker and blatantly stared as she stripped out of her swim suite before heading to the showers.

"My intelligence is quite high." I gloated following her into the same stall after making sure that we were the only ones in the room.

"I was talking about Spencer, not you." She smirked, knowing a comment like that would completely throw me off my game.

I scoffed.

"Evil Fields. Just evil."

"Yeah well, I learned from the best. Now get undressed and help me wash my hair." I smirked and pulled the straps off of the standard one piece we were all mandated to wear. It was not my favorite piece but it did the job.

I had leaned down to pull off the spandex like material, when I started to feel extremely dizzy. It was like being on the extreme version of the tilt-o-whirl, only instead of having fun, I felt like I was going to pass out.

"Em." I whispered watching the room spin.

I reached out to grab a hold of something to keep my balance, but I guess I was too late because the next thing I knew I was lying in a bed in St. Michael's intensive care unit while my life unknowingly ticked away with the hands of the clock.

May 26, 2014

Blinking had never been painful before, but now it felt like my eye lids were being ripped away every time I tried to open them. It was worse than the time I went swimming without goggles the night after dad put way too much chlorine in the pool.

It took at least ten minutes before I could open my eyes without having to snap them shut immediately.

I had no idea where I was at first, but the consistent beeping and the sound of sniffling next to me told me that wherever I was the situation was not good.

I turned toward the sound, a little too quickly because the moment I moved it felt like someone ran over my head with a freight train. Unfortunately to make out who was sitting next to me I had blink to clear my vision.

It was my mom.

"Ma…"

"Paige…Paige, oh thank god!"

I could barely see anything, but I could feel, and I could definitely feel my mother throw herself into me knocking the wind out of my lungs and pulling at the Iv I could only guess was in my arm from burning sensation running up my arm.

"Mom."

"What, what is it Paige, are you in pain, do I need to call the doctor?"

She was emotional.

I could tell.

"You're squashing me, I can barely breathe." I whispered moving my hand so that it was resting on her back trying to comfort her with little pats.

"Sorry." She stood up running her fingers across my forehead. "It's just good to hear your voice."

"What?"

I was confused, first I wake up with the worst headache of my life, and then it feels like my eye lids were being ripped off every time I opened my eyes, and let's not forget my mother acting like she thought I was dying.

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you not remember what happened?"

"If I did, I wouldn't have asked you?" I have always had trouble trying to control my anger and now I could feel the irritation making its way through me.

"Paige, please try to stay calm, you don't need any excitement now. I'll call and he can explain everything to you. Just stay calm." She leaned down and kissed my forehead before walking out of the room.

"What the hell is going on?" I whispered closing my eyes, hoping whatever the doctor had to say meant that I could get out of this room as soon as possible.

"Miss. McCullers do you remember anything about the night you were brought into the hospital? I could not get a good look at the doctor but I could tell from the sound of his voice he was irritated.

"No."

"Do you have any recollection of anything that has happened these last few day?" I shook my head and turned to face my mother who was sitting next to me holding my hand like she was afraid that if she let go I was going to float away.

She looked sad and beaten down, but she still wore a smile. Nancy McCullers always smiled, even when she did not want to.

I smiled back hoping that it would cheer her up a little.

"What is the last thing you remember Miss. McCullers?"

"I don't know. I don't really remember anything now. All I know is that my head is killing me, these weird socks you have me wearing keep falling off, and that my mother looks like she's seconds from breaking down."

I turned back to the nameless doctor who had suddenly became clearer and waited for him to tell me what was going on.

"Knowing who you mother is, is always a good sign, do you know the name of the high school you attend and what year you are in.

"What does having to know the name of my school have to do with anything?" I asked defiantly.

"Paige, just answer the question." Mom said giving my hand a slight squeeze.

"Rosewood High School and I'm a junior, is there anything else you'd like to know, like my bra size, or how many times I can sneak outside of the house without getting caught.

"Paige!" Mom smacked my arm and I rolled my eyes.

"Can you just tell me why I'm here, and why my head is pounding in my skull?"

He sighed and walked over to the right side of my bed resting his cold hand on my arm.

"Miss. McCullers there is no easy way to say this-"

No easy way to say this. That one sentence turned my stomach inside out, what was so awful that there was no easy way to say it.

"Miss. McCullers you have a brain tumor that-"

I could hear my mother breaking down next to me and it was the only thing I could hear until he said…

"Terminal, but it looks like you have a year if you chose to do Chemo, six months if you don't."

"I know this is a lot to take in, but it's extremely important that you understand what I'm trying to explain to you, your situation is extremely delicate and we need to discuss all the possibilities available to you while they still exist.

While they still exist.

Everything else he had to say was irrelevant after that.

I had everything I ever wanted within arm's reach. I was a straight A student, soon to be captain of the Sharks (varsity swim team), I held the best swimming record in the state, and after the end of my senior year I had a full ride to Stanford with the love of my life riding shot-gun the whole way.

8,765.812 hours.

525,948.766 minutes

31,556,926 seconds.

12 months.

52 weeks.

365 days.

I had it all...until I didn't.