I really didn't expect anyone to notice I was spending so much time at the hospital or expected them to care. I thought I hid being sick well. I started wearing a lot of beanies and hoodies, so no one knew about the lack of hair or the fact that I probably weighed half as much as I used to.

I guess Steven had been asking where I was after the sixth day of me not being in work. Sadie had just told him that I was had been sick. Steven wound up coming to my house with a bowl of, what I am still assuming, was soup.

"Why are you wearing that hat inside?" He let himself in, tromping over to the kitchen, spilling the soup as he walked.

"Because why not, Steven?" I stepped over one of the puddles to grab some paper towel. I wish that I had been just as careful walking back, but now, it didn't work out that way. I wound up slipping in one of the puddles and wound up crashing to the floor. I guess my arm went over my head and knocked the beanie off because next thing I know, Steven is staring at me.

"Lars, what happened to your hair?" He looks more confused than anything else. I stood back up, dusting myself off and reaching for the hat beside me.

"It's nothing, Steven." I put the hat back on, but he isn't convinced.

"Sadie says your sick." He still continues staring at me and I feel the sudden urge to jump out my window to get away from the look.

"Yeah? So. I'm not that sick, Steven."

"But you don't have any hair anymore..."

"Your point is? Steven, I'm fi-"

"Me and Connie were watching some movie...the girl in that movie didn't have any hair either..."

"And?" I folded my arms, leaning against the hallway wall. And that God for that wall behind me, because Steven decides to throw himself at me and hug me like the damn plane is going down.

"She dies at the end!"

"Steven, it was just a stupid movie."

"Lars, are you going to die?" He looks up at me now, freaking crying now. That kid looks like someone took his Cookie Cats away.

"W-what? No. That's crazy! I told you, I ain't that sick."

"Oh...so you don't have what that girl in the movie had."

"What movie are you even talking about." Considering how I really don't have the strength to push the kid away, I tried taking a step away. What he said next made me stop completely though.

"I can't remember the name but she had look-eem-ee-a." Steven scrunches his face, attempting to call back the pronunciation of the illness.

"Leukemia..." I corrected him, staring at the wall in front of me, rather than him.

"Yeah, that...You don't hate that, right?" Steven finally lets go and stands back to look at me.

Never have I felt so exposed in my entire life. I could just lie to him, but I think he'd figure it out eventually, so what's the point.

I'd rather die knowing that I didn't lie to the kid than knowing that I did.

"No, that's exactly what I have actually." I put my hands in my pockets and headed in to the kitchen to clean up the mess. I don't even have to look to know that Steven's eyes widened now. Maybe I shouldn't have put it like that, but whatever was said was already said.

There's a full two minutes of completely silence before the kid throws me into a hug again, not even giving me time to brace myself as I head to the floor for the second time today.

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE!" He sobs into my shirt. I would have been sobbing with him, but like most cases, I actually just got pissed off.

"Steven, get off of me!" I sit up, managing to at least get an arm in between us, but other than that, the kid wasn't moving.

"YOU CAN'T DIE, LARS!" He wails, tightening his hold. There isn't much of me to hug, so he manages to wrap his arms around me at least twice.

"I'm not gonna die, Steven."

"B-but the girl in the mov-"

"I know, Steven. But it was just a movie. I'm gonna be fine."

"B-but-"

"Steven, I ain't gonna die."

"Promise?"

Shit...what do I do now? I mean...does promising something jinx it? How does that weird, spiritual-mythical-whatever crap work anyway?

"Uh...Sure..."

"Pinky Promise?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." I finally manage to get him off of me and attempt to clean up the soup puddles again, but that's when probably the worst possible thing to happen at this point in time occurs.

It's near the sink when it happens, so at least I have something to grab on to, but the room keeps on spinning, so I have to kneel after a little while. Dizziness just seems to love to mess with me right now.

"Lars, are you okay?" Steven kneels beside me, "Do I need to go get Sadie."

"Nah, Steven, I told ya," I try to breathe to hold back sudden nausea, "I'll be fine."