I wheeled myself into the kitchen that morning, unshaven, having not slept well, and tear stained. "Gus, what's the matter?" my mother asked
"Hazel…" I didn't want to finish the sentence, with tears already rolling down my cheeks.
"What about Hazel, honey?" Mom asked, unsure of how to handle the situation.
"Hazel's gone…" I whispered. Mom said nothing. She just got up and hugged me, tears streaming down my face. I let myself cry as my mother hugged me.

The first person I called was Isaac. He picked up after two rings. "Hello?" He asked

"Isaac…" I trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Who is this?" He asked. I completely forgot he couldn't see my name on the caller ID.

"It's Augustus." I said quietly. There was a silence.

"Gus? You ok?" Isaac asked. I shook my head, then realised he couldn't see me, so I explained.

"Hazel. Support-Group Hazel. Night-Of-The-Broken-Trophies Hazel. Not-Your-Evil-Ex-Girlfriend Hazel." Isaac cut me off.

"Yes I know who Hazel is. What about her?"

"Eight days after my prefuneral, she was taken into hospital, and now… and now… and now she's gone…" there was more silence.

"Stay there Gus. I'm coming over." I hung up the phone, then dialled a number subconsciously. The number rang out, before the perky voicemail message came on. "You've reached Hazel's phone, leave a message!" I allowed the voicemail to beep, and I just kind of sat there for a moment, wishing she was on the other end. I realised that the only person I wanted to talk to about the death of Hazel Grace Lancaster was Hazel Grace Lancaster.

Hazel's parents rang 3 days later, to tell me the funeral would be on Saturday. 5 days away. I started writing my eulogy on that day, and spent the next 5 trying to make it right. I imagined Hazel at my funeral. What if I hadn't had the miracle? What if I had died, instead of her? I had a brief vision of her tucking a packet of cigarettes into my coffin. That made me smile a little. I listened to The Hectic Glow as I wrote.