His breath hitched, the metal sliding into his vein for what seemed the trillianth time that day. His crystal eyes welded shut, his teeth mashed together to try to silence the cries. He was in pain. So much pain. And no one seemed to know what to do about it. The metal broke through his slowly forming muscles, puncturing a hole in the soft tissue that enagle his bisep to flex. He cringed and cried out. He was surely going to die if they kept hurting him like this. Then just like it was never there, the evil sharp point pulled out of his skin, leaving a throbbing sensation.
He'd had another blood test. The 6th that day.
The 10 year old cried out for his mother. He wanted to go home. He would much rather have suffered the sever headaches, the nearly unbarable chest pains, the purple bruises that covered his stomach. He just wanted the evil doctor to stop shoving needles through his skin. His mother's soothing words were lost in his torment. His mind a blur. Only picturing a life without this pain. He tried to pull himself together. Boys don't cry. They never cried. He'd never seen his father cry even when the cancer came and he knew he would die. His mother cried enough for him though at Terri, the man that looked just like his son's funeral mere months ago. This was all to surreal to actually be happening. But there he was, laying in the white bed, blinding hospital lights burning his cyan orbs that were red and puffy from all the tears, tubes running from machines to his body. He now knew what his father felt like. Trapped. He wanted out of this hell.
The doctor came in and the small boy cringed away from the balding man like he was a murderer that would surely end his life. In essance he was. "Hello Jack." he used his soothing voice on the young boy. Jack just stared unblinkingly at the man. This evil man. "Well I think we're all done for the day. We will call sometime next week with the test results." He gave Jack a warm smile that looked like it stretched the old man's face too far.
"Yes, please let us know." Jacks' mother Lucille told the doctor before ushering her only child out of the examinating room. He looked up at his only parents the woman that was usually so strong had tears in her eyes as she gazed at her world. Her son. "Lets go home Jack." She guided the distraught young boy to the black Acura stationed in the hospital's parking lot.
"Mommy?" He asked, still a high pitch to Jack's voice since puberty hadn't hit yet.
She looked over at her dear son and tried to smile. "Yes hunni?" she asked in a motherly tone.
"Do you think I'll die like daddy?" he asked, a seriousness taking over the tiny face, his usually bright eyes dull.
"No." she said, her voice determined. "You're going to live a long healthy life, marry a beautiful girl, and have many kids. You will live well into your 100s" she promised her baby boy.
But she was wrong. Oh, so wrong. Jack was never going to live to be 100. Hell, he'd be happy if he made it to his next birthday which was 2 months away; October 18. They'd gotten the news from the doctor the next day. He was issued back into the hospital for further testing, more devil needles punctured his smooth skin. After weeks of testing they'd figured out what was wrong with him. The doctor said he had a very rare condition one that only .2% of the country's population had it. It was Body Atrophy. This meant that his body was slowly coming apart. His systems were tearing down, failing minutely.
Jack Reece was going to die. He was going to die young.
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The pounding of the water that fell from the dark and dreary sky seemed to match his mood. He sat there in his black Acura A6 and stared out the window of his car. He was parked outside of East High. His high school. The one that he never thought he'd live to attend. Now a senior at the school, it was a second home. But today his body ached. He didn't want to go in and sit through long tedious classes while staring at the clock. He didn't want to go to bball practice today because his bicep was aching from the 5 needles shoved into his arm last night when he was admitted into the hospital again from collapsing in the kitchen last night. He hadn't slept. The tired teen ran a rough hand through his dark locks before yanking the car door open. Today was not a good day to mess with Jack Reece.
Clad in dark jeans that hung on his small hips and allowed the tips of his boxers to show and a blue t-shirt with multiple colored squares on the front covered in a black hoodie he ran in his new black and white checkered Vans through the downpour to get to the safe haven of the dry school. He sloshed through many puddles on his way to the big brick building and kept his eyes down. His warm, strong hand shot out to catch the door that his best friend just walked through. His breath evened out after the mad dash as he entered the bright hallway.
Students gathered at different lockers talking to their close friends. He passed down the hall silently as eyes fell on him. He knew he looked bad...but to the female population he looked like a god. His tanned skin radiated and his black hoodie only aplified the blue irises that were trained on the ground. He didn't want to interact today. All he wanted was to go home and just curl up in bed. The normally cheery captain of the basketball team just wanted to get out.
"Heya Captain!" a booming voice rang out as Jack reached his locker and started spinning the knob easily. His mind clouded with the thoughts of when he first learned of his disease were knocked out of his head as his best friend Mark came into view. His best friend since preschool with his brown bush for hair had a warm smile plastered along his face. He had no idea of the internal struggles of Jack.
It's not that Jack didn't trust him with the truth, he just didn't want anyone to find out and worry. He wanted to live life to the fullest and not have people holding him back. "Hey Mark!" He put on a false grin and waved.
"So. How are you today?" He asked his best friend out of curiosity. They'd been on the phone last night right before the incident in the kitchen and Jack had said he wasn't feeling well before hanging up.
In pain. "Great. I feel better." That was a mild lie. He still hurt, his muscles ached. But the peircing pain in his lungs had died. The doctor had told him that the reason the pain was there was because a small bit of the outter lung on the right side had died off. This had sent his mother into hysterics. Him...it scared him to death but he didn't let his mother see that.
You see, Jack had a moto. It was to live every day to the fullest, have no regrets, and to do everything he could to enjoy the time he had. Sure he didn't want to die but he'd accepted it, Had to accept it from age 10. He wasn't afraid to leave this Earth. He knew that he would go to Heaven and be with his father. Other than his mother and his best friend he wouldn't really be sad about leaving. And they would get over it.
"That's good." His friend said, his smile stretching further. His beady black eyes darted down the hall and his whole face lit up. It seemed like Mark's whole body shook in his burnt orange shirt and light wash jeans. "Hey! Look. It's a new girl." Mark was a really friendly guy and it looked like he wanted to befriend the new girl.
Jack turned his head to the side to see the brunette walking through the doors. His slowly decicating heart pounding.
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Isabella Ann. She dispised her name with a burning passion.
Isabella. Such an inocent name for a perfect girl. Then her parents had to add the Ann along with it. No, she couldn't just go by Isabella, since that was torture enough but when adressing her one always had to include the Ann part too. That was insane and she wanted to change her name when she got the money. You see Isabella wasn't the normal sweet little girl her mother Inez thought she was. Sure she put on the innocent princess facade when her mother was around. She'd wear pink, which she hated almost as much as her name, and heels. Her hair would be curled and her make-up would be light and delicate. She'd use manners and always be polite.
But Bella, the demon child could only take so much before her real self shined through. Bella wore combat boots, tight skirts that showed off her exotic curves. Her long midnight hair was straitned. She'd aply thick eyeliner and eyeshadow. Her cherry pink lipgloss would change to tahitian pink. Her usually body fitting t-shirts had rock bands or sayings as in "What if the Hockey Pockey really was what it's all about." She wasn't emo or goth. She was just a hard core tomboy at heart. She enjoyed sitting and watching basketball, getting wasted at parties, lighting up with friends. The only thing she hadn't done was crack or weed. Those were forbidden, even to her. She knew her limits.
She had a sad life really. Every man that entered her life left. Her father was shot down at a bank robbery when she was 13 and she often had nightmares of waking up to her mother's sobs as she dropped the phone when she heard the news. Midnight. October 20. It was rounding 5 years now. She'd allowed one boy in her life to take her heart completely away from her only to find that the scumbag was cheating on her with her willing ex-best friend. Her mom was always gone, trying to make more of a name for themselves in teh elegant society. They were rich and unhappy people. Isabella had everything that life had to offer but she never felt content with her hated life.
She also didn't like that her mom had made her move from LA to Albequerque, New Mexico either.
All this ran through the petite Latina's mind as she unbuckled the seatbelt to her new silver Mustang. She hated being labled as a rich girl by the kind of car she drove. She looked out the widow and saw a couple guys drooling off of the custom paint job and just the overall car. Isabella's temper was running high. She was already late for her first day at East High and she was pissed about leaving her school where she actually got along with people. She ripped off her frilly pink top tha and slithered out of her matching long pink skirt. She readjust her make up in the mirror, adding much more than she had before and readjusting her form-fitting black t-shirt. It was plain today and went well with her light skinny jeans. She wore silver ballett flats to finish off the loock. She tossed her cascading curls that she didn't have time to straighten over her shoulder and jumped out the car.
She entered the noisy hallway. A couple guy's shot to her and she watched their eyes hungrily shoot down her frame and wink at her. She just rolled her eyes in disgust. She was not interested in horney guys. She was waiting for the one that would love her for her and not just becuase they thought she would be good in bed. She certainly wasn't going to fall for anyone. Ever. She was an independent woman.
Her eyes scanned the hallway and she saw some dirty looks from girls. She just let it roll off her back. She really didn't care what people thought of her. She perfered to be alone. She didn't need them. Her eyes kept scanning the crowds, student's glancing at the new girl that just walked in. Her eyes stopped as they locked on the electric blue that was peircing into her chocolate brown eyes.
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Jack finally allowed himself to breath. His heart returned to a pretty normal pace. He didn't need his body feeling like this. He felt like his lungs were still striving for air. His body was hot and cold at the same time. His heart beat hard against his chest. His eyes turned to tunnel vision. He could only see the petite young woman that just stepped through the doors. Her hair fell loosly around her shoulders, her shirt clung to her body and showed off her curves. Her face was emotionless though. No fear of a first day, no annoyance that guys left and right were probably staring at her, there was nothing in her visage to show what she was feeling.
"Dude?" Mark started waving a hand infront of his best friend's face. "You in there?" He chucled mildly at his friend's distraction.
Jack shook his head to bring him out of his daze. "Oh, yeah." he mumbled, flushing a light pink because he was staring at the new girl. Jack looked up again to see that she was nearing them. She glanced down at the paper in her hands then to her left. She stopped momentarily then kept walking.
Mark had a sing-song ring to his voice. "Jacky's got a crush!!" he said a little too loud for Jack's liking.
"No I don't." He snapped. No. He'd never do that to a girl. He didn't mind girls admiring from a far but he would never put a girl's heart in danger since he never really knew if he would wake up the next morning or not. He wasn't that kind of person.
"Yes you do. Dude, you can't stop staring." he hissed quitely because the girl was walking past them.
"No." He said again. He could smell her perfume. It had an edge to it. A sweet floral smell mixed with something else. He tried to recall where he'd last smelled the aroma before. Then his eyes bluged.
Cigarette smoke.
"Hey." Mark jumped to where the new girl was walking, making her jump a little. Finally, a reaction to everything.
"Um...Hi?" She furrowed her brow a moment then her face became impassive.
"What's your name?" Mark asked, his bright smile litting up his face as it did earlier. He was naturally a go-getter kind of guy and loved meeting new people...Jack on the other hand...not so much.
She stayed silent and studied the chocolate skinned boy infront of her with his poofy hair and his small beady eyes. Her eyes dropped to his feet once before moving to his face again. "What's it to you?" Her pleasant and surprised tone gone. Raw attitude laced her voice now.
Mark was taken aback as Jack silently watched while leaning against his locker. "I was just trying to be nice..." he mumbled and looked for Jack to help.
Jack took a deep breath, wondering if his voice would come out while he stared at her. "Mark we're going to be late." He glanced at the clock knowing full well they weren't even close to being late. "We should go. Um...bye whoever you are." As he adressed her for the first time her eyes shot to his. A force he couldn't imagine pulled at his heart pulling him closer to her. But he restrained and yanked Mark by the arm.
"Ok. Fine." He huffed while being dragged. When they were out of earshot he turned to his friend. "Didn't you want to know your future lover's name?" he raised an eyebrow.
Jack rolled his eyes and kept walking. "No."
He didn't want to know her name because then he'd want to know more about her. He couldn't become attached to anyone else. He didn't want to hurt anyone else when he left. He didn't want a reason to want to stay.
Too bad the reason to stay on Earth was staring at him with a curious look in her mocha eyes before she turned to continue to her locker.
