Chapter 1, Jennifer

Okay I admit it, I am 17 and have something difficult going on in my life but that does not make me a bad person and I feel that if more people just forget that and get to know me they would like me. Which is why I got that chance that some don't. I have friends but it's finally time to break the news to them.... I also have a boyfriend I do not know if I will be able to tell them personally about this one I think it would be best if I told it publicly to the whole student body because I have a lot of friends and very few enemies.

As I walk through the halls I have walked through so many times before I feel different than I used to when being here was just an everyday thing but now that it's my last day I just feel as if every corner holds a different memory and every door holds a different meaning.

I finally figured out how to tell every one I will call an emergency Assembly for the whole student body then I can tell everyone at once and not individually as most would prefer to do.

Just as I figure this out a good friend of mine nears, her name is Christina Johanson, She will be very useful planning my emergency Assembly so I decide to pull her out of the crowd of students and have a little sit down.

"Hey Christina!!!" I call out to her she hears and points to the star students lounge where she might actually be able to understand what I am talking about.

"Hey Jen what's up?" She says as we take a seat and she gets us each a weird brand name of cola.

"Well I need your help in calling an emergency assembly..." I tell her slowly. "What about?" She asks.

It's a simple question but I was not prepared for that question to come up today. So I make up an answer.

"Something is happening to a very good friend of most of the student body, she's got a terrible disease. Today is her last day here then she has to go away to a place of sick people, a hospice." I tell her and technically it's all true. I do not need to say any names so I will not.

"Who is she? are you sure? this is a terrible tragedy for the entire school." She says and I know she wants me to answer the first 2 questions.

"I'm not supposed to say who but yes I am sure about every thing I said." I tell her.

"This may sound really bad but I'm glad it's not you I mean I would just die if you and I had to split up and you had to go away to some awful place and die. I will announce the emergency assembly but you have to tell me who this girl is, I promise I wont say anything to anyone. Please????" I can't just tell her but she leaves me no choice so I simply say....

"Me...." And that sets her into tears... I don't know what to do about it though, I know its something I should have told them long before, and that springing it on them like this is quite dramatic, but what can I do?

It breaks my heart to see her like this but what can I do it's not like my family took the news any better than she I mean sure I didn't have to tell them but learning the knowledge of my disease at all broke their hearts into little pieces and then me being sent away sends those little pieces through the blender.

but right now I have a new problem to deal with so I tell her not to tell any one and to just please do me this favor and announce an emergency assembly today during 1st period and tell them it will only take a little while of their time then they can all go back to whatever they were doing.

After we parted I spotted my boyfriend Chris standing next to my locker with a smile on his face and my Friday rose in his hand. Every Friday he brings me a rose for a little tradition. I love to see him there holding a white rose. He chooses white instead of red for a reason unknown to me but I love the rose and him just the same.

He greeted me with the usual soft kiss on the cheek, his lips were warm and I loved every moment of it, that sadly was not very long at all. I still believe he might love me anyway even after I tell everybody that I am not going to live to much longer. I really wish I did not have to but I do and I will just have to live with it.

"Hey" I said in a soft sad voice I did not recognize for a moment then I knew that voice exactly and didn't want to hear it at all. I knew it was coming and so I had to turn away.

"Hey, what's wrong babe." He said in soft voice as I turned away, I was not ready to tell him.

"There is gonna be an emergency assembly today for a good person with something terrible their going to have to go through but they can't do it alone." When I said that I knew it was true, I really did not think I could do this on my own I needed him and my friends all to help me along in the end of my life.

He held me as I cried telling me to shush because everything is going to be okay but he had no clue what the real deal was and my guess is that he did not want to. Believe me I do not think I know many people who would want to have to hear my news.