Hey guys! First off, I'd like to say that this is going to be a very emotional and well researched story that might be too much for some of you to handle at times. At some points, when I was brainstorming this story I had to put down the pen and walk away for a little while. Although, I'd like to thank DegrassiPosse for letting me write this story. She wrote a similar, breath taking story just like this and I asked her permission to take her idea but build upon it differently. So, for all of you who read her story "The Boy I Am In Love With" then you'll know what this is about. But, if you don't then this will be an interesting story for you to read. I love you guys and please enjoy the first chapter of "Arms Of An Angel"...

A Special Thanks To My Beta Reader-SomeoneNamedLiz

Warnings: Will be emotional, at times.

Ages:

Clare-18

Eli-18


ARMS OF AN ANGEL-CHAPTER 1

The most important thing in illness is never to lose heart

CLARE'S PERSPECTIVE

"How do you feel honey?" My mother asked me as I sat up, tears streaming down my face from the pain.

I sighed and hissed in pain when I tried to stand, "I-I'm fine mom, I just want to have fun and go to school...please." My mother looked at me with the most sympathetic look I've ever seen since we received "the" news.

When my mother placed a light hand on my shoulder, she whispered, "You're such a beautiful and strong girl."

I scoffed, apparently because I didn't see a beautiful or strong girl in this mirror image looking back at me at all. I saw this broken down, weak, baggy eyed girl who hasn't slept in nearly two days due to the pain coming from her right breast.

Oh right, did I forget to tell you guys, I have breast cancer.

Many say that breast cancer is rare with teenage girls, well, then I guess I fall into the "rare" category because of my, as my mom calls it 'unique' condition. For three months now, I've been receiving radiotherapy in order to keep the cancer away.

Radiotherapy might help the cancer stay away, but, it's still there.

"Are you sure honey? You don't have to go today," my mom told me as I scoffed before saying said, "I'll call you if I don't feel good."

She smiled and said, "Okay, do you need help getting dressed?"

"I'm not a five year old mom, I can dress myself," I told her as she soon exited the room and I was only left with myself and a mirror to stare at. I glared intently at my body and I thanked god for the strands of hair that had gone missing, grew back.

When I was first diagnosed, I had noticeable tiny patches of my hair missing, but, thankfully, not even my friends noticed.

Throughout the first two months, my friends had several suspicions as to why I wasn't hanging out with them at the movies or even hanging out to do homework together anymore.

Their suspicions weren't nearly as right as to what I was really doing.

Sometimes, I feel as if they deserve to know my condition. But, at other times, I don't want their pity.

But, now that I am in my senior year of high school and the radiotherapy has been helping me on my soon to be long journey of cancer, my cinnamon smelling curls had thankfully grown back.

Some say that Cancer was a "blessing" in disguise for them.

I don't see Cancer as a blessing at all, what so ever. It's a disease, a disease that weakens your body so much that at times, you can't walk and you don't even feel like living anymore.

The doctors say it only weakens your body and the way you move, but it does so much more. It destroys you mentally and slowly but surely, corrupts your positive look on life.

"Are you ready yet Clare?" My mom called out to me as I screeched, "Yeah mom, just one second!"

It was hard, picking out clothes that wouldn't make your chest feel as if it was so tight that your rib cage wasn't crushing your lungs and stopping you from breathing. It was hard, trying to…well, be me.


ELI'S PERSPECTIVE

"Clare Edwards, rocking the v-neck I see," I told Clare as I watched her cheeks blush this adorable shade of pink.

Clare, how to describe one of my best friends since freshman year, indescribable.

I watched intently at her actions as she slowly moved her books from her bag, into her locker. I watched her mouth as she bit down on her bottom lip, in slight pain as she said through gritted teeth, "Glad someone noticed."

I laughed and then stopped, noticing a tear falling from her cheek, "Do you need help with that, Clare?"

My eyebrows tightened together as I watched Clare quickly and painfully throw her books into her locker as she closed it quickly, trying not to lift her right arm because it seemed as if something was causing her pain on the right side of her body.

"N-no, don't worry about little ol' me, I'm just...tired," she said while smiling and leaning on her locker.

I smirked and said, "Well, now that you've made this conversation officially awkward, might as well take it up a notch. I was wondering, if tonight, you could join me in seeing a movie?"

My heart raced a thousand miles a minute, fearing rejection.

"E-Eli, you know I would love to, but I have-," I continued her sentence and whispered, while looking at the ground, "Something to do."

Clare placed a finger under my chin and said, "A-actually, I can skip it today and spend time with my best friend and other friends...so, what movie are we going to see, buddy?"

I cocked my head to the side, gripping my book bag strap tightly due to the nervousness building inside my body quicker than a hurricane, "I was kind of thinking that this could be a d-date. You know, if you want it to be."

Clare, she has been a crush of mine since as long as I could remember.

"O-oh, um sure, Eli that's fine. Text me the details, I-I uh I'll see you tonight," with that, she stormed off into the crowd of teenagers.

My eyebrows tightened together in confusion and I realized how lucky I am to have Clare as a date tonight. She is just so unique and witty that I couldn't even bare to hold that question in any longer.

I think four years is enough.

"So, how did it go with Clare?" Adam asked, a grin creeping up on his lips.

I laughed, opening my locker and saying, "It went well."

"Are you taking her out on a date? Spill your details, idiot," Adam told me while whacking me on the back of my head with one of his hard, five hundred paged textbooks.

I licked my lips, grabbed my books out of my locker and said, "To say that tonight will not be Clare and I's first date, would be a lie."


AFTER SCHOOL, 7PM


"Eli, she'll be down in a minute. I'm sorry about the wait-," I cut Mrs. Edwards off and said, "It's no problem, really."

I'd wait forever for Clare.

After a couple of minutes, I stood up from the recliner that I had been sitting comfortably in as Clare made her way down the steps. Her steps were gentle, careful and most importantly, breath taking.

"So, can you have Clare back by ten?" Mrs. Edwards asked me as I responded with a smirk on my face, "I will have her back by nine fifty nine."

She giggled at my sarcasm as Clare grabbed my hand securely and said, "Well mom, we have to go now...the movie starts in a half hour."

I seemed to be caught in between Clare and her mom as they glared at each other and I coughed, interrupting the stare down by saying, "Thank you so much for letting me take your daughter out tonight."

"No problem Eli, just please call if you have any problems," her mother told me as I asked her questionably, "Problems?"

Clare quickly tugged me out the door by my hand, while saying, "Thanks mom, we will!"

Within twenty minutes, Clare and I had been sitting side by side in the movie theater.

I watched her intently, looking at her every eye wander, every hand scratch, every joke that she would whisper in my ear and every tensed look that would appear suddenly on her face.

Halfway through the movie, I wrapped my arm around her body which caused her to snuggle into my chest.

"Thank you for taking me out tonight," I heard her whisper in my ear as I kissed her temple reassuringly. Her hand lay gently over my chest through the whole movie, but, my hand remained by her side.

I was glad that this "date" was going well, because most of my dates end up in heartache and disaster.

Going on a date with Clare, is like going on a date with a best friend who knows you already for who you are and what you will be, except, you kiss.

When the movie was about to end, Clare was glancing up into my eyes and I thought this was a perfect moment to kiss her for the first time. Mind you, I've been tempted to do this several times before in our friendship, but, I would always chicken out.

As I cocked my head down slowly, placing my thumb beneath her chin to make her head look up, she quickly said, "I-I can't do this, I'm sorry Eli."

My heart felt as if it ripped in two as I watched Clare, the girl who I had imagined myself kissing for nearly four years, run out of the theater faster than a swimmer trying to escape a shark inches away from them...


CLARE'S PERSPECTIVE

I dropped to my knees by the movie theater toilet and I could've sworn that all of my intestines just fell into the toilet.

As it was tonight, I had missed my radiotherapy treatment after I had a long fight with my mother who had insisted that my life is more important than a date with Elijah Goldsworthy. But, what she doesn't know is that I've been waiting since freshman year... freshman fucking year for him to ask me out somewhere that doesn't involve bringing someone else along!

"Oh god," I hissed while wiping the side of my mouth after round two of the painful nausea returning.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, but, chose to ignore it as I weakly stood to my knees. I had to lean on the toilet lid, applying all my weight to it to just barely get on my legs.

As of right now, the Cancer was beating my body like how a murderer tortures a body with a bat.

My legs and knees were weaker than my mind, my right breast had this shooting of unexpected pain every two minutes or so and then, Eli almost kissing me made my nausea symptoms blast through the roof like a fire cracker.

I sighed in defeat as I unlocked the bathroom stall.

I laughed at myself when I passed by the mirror because, right now, Eli could be asking another girl out. He's probably already taken my 'I can't do this' line as a way to get out of dating me and he's most likely onto another girl.

Everyone stared at me as I struggled to stand on my own.

My arms gripped tightly onto the walls of the movie theater as I tried to balance myself, but, my knees had unfortunately bucked and just as I was about to hit the floor beneath me, I felt two strong hands wrap around my waist.

"You," I whispered as I glanced up at his concerned, piercing green eyes...

END OF CHAPTER 1


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Cliffhanger Girl

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