For those who are soft hearted, you may need a tissue for this. This chapter is not as sad as 6 but it still may strike a cord with someone.

Thanks to my girls for helping me out with this story!

Epov

I woke up Sunday morning and headed for the kitchen. Esme's face was tear-stained along with Alice's. Jasper looked like hell, and I could see Emmett's eyes were red-rimmed. They were all sniffling, and Carlisle came in looking drained.

"How is she?" Alice asked jumping out of her seat.

"She's sleeping, but honestly, I thought she was going to be worse. She was up all night," he said, as I grew nervous.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, as I made my presence known.

"Morning," Esme said giving me a small smile. "This boy we all know passed away this morning."

"Oh…" I said not knowing what to say. "I thought something happened to Bella."

"It was her best friend," Alice said as tears fell. I thought Alice was her best friend.

"Do you have any nice clothes?" Carlisle asked me.

"I guess," I said with a shrug.

"We all will be going to the funeral to show Bella respect," he said, as I blew out a big breath.

"I'm gonna call Rose and then head over there. Is it okay if I spend the night?" Emmett asked.

"Me, too," Jasper said as he stood.

"I feel like if I look at her, I'm going to lose it even more," Alice said with a hiccup. "I just know this could have been…" she said, as she sobbed into Jasper's shirt.

"That's why we all need to be her rock," Carlisle said, as Esme hugged Alice and Jasper. "Renee figured she couldn't keep you all away, so she said just to let yourselves in, but not to wake her. She and Charlie were up all night, too."

"Bella's your friend, too, even if you don't want a friend. You're welcome to come with us," Alice said with another hiccup.

"I have an extra sleeping bag," Emmett said giving me a teary smile. All I did was nod, because I felt like I couldn't say no. "If you plan to stay with us, you'll need a change of clothes."

I headed to my room and threw on sweats, a t-shirt, and a hoodie. Just as I got to the bottom of the stairs, everyone was waiting, and Esme handed us food with instructions on how to cook it. We headed out the door, and I bounced my leg nervously.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" I asked nicely hoping someone would tell me.

"Bella wants to tell you, she's just waiting for you to call her your friend. Jake has been a part of her life for the last few years. He had cancer," Alice said, as I stared at her.

Cancer…that wasn't in any of my theories. Bella had…has cancer? I nodded at Alice, and she patted my hand. I wasn't sure I was the right friend for this. I didn't do crying and feelings, and I never said the right things. I didn't want her to hate me, and if I said the wrong thing, she might never speak to me again. Emmett was right, whether I wanted it or not, Bella was my friend.

When we pulled up to her house, I saw a dozen white roses on the doorstep. We got out and quietly walked into the house. Alice put the flowers in the kitchen. We followed her up the stairs, and I wasn't prepared for what I was going to see. Bella was curled in a ball, holding something in her hand. Her face was red and swollen.

My legs moved quicker than my brain, and I sat on the bean bag next to her bed. I put my arm over her head, and she sighed. I stared at her for a minute, before looking at Emmett. He gave me a smile and got on the computer in Bella's room. Jasper sat on the couch and opened his laptop. Alice carefully lay next to her, and I moved my arm. She gave me a smile, and when I put my hand on the side of the bed, Bella's free hand held mine. I interlocked our fingers, and she sighed again. I hoped I was making her feel better.

We sat in her room for hours. I was tired, and I wanted to sleep, but I couldn't. I kept watching Bella and played on my cell. Later in the afternoon, Alice got up. She whispered that she heard Renee. Next thing I knew, Renee brought us drinks and snacks. Jasper and Emmett left to smoke, and I wanted to go with them, but every time I moved, Bella tightened her grip.

"I'll be back in a minute, and we'll switch," Emmett whispered, and I nodded.

Just as the door closed, Bella whispered,

"Are they all gone?" she asked. I looked to see if she was awake. She talked in her sleep, so I wasn't sure.

"You awake?" I whispered, and she giggled.

"Yeah," she said sitting up. I gave her my drink, and I moved to sit on her bed.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes," she said with a smile. "When I was twelve, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma. Last year, the doctor told me I was in remission. For now, I'm cancer free. I met Jake a year into my treatment. He's two years older than me, and he knew what I was going through. He was the first boy to love me. He didn't care that I had no hair and that I weighted ninety pounds. He was my rock for many years. Death scares me, and you can't make jokes about it," she told me, as I took a shaky breath.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," I told her taking her hand again.

"It's okay, you didn't know, and I liked it that way. You were yourself, and you treated me like everyone else. It's been a while since someone has told me to fuck off," she said, as we laughed. "Please don't treat me differently."

"Well," I started to say, as I cleared my throat, "I don't like to be mean to my friends." The smile I earned was out of this world. Her laughter was like music to my ears. "I'm sorry about your friend. My mom died when I was ten of breast cancer."

"That had to be awful, I'm so sorry," she said, as she touched the side of my face.

"I don't really remember it," I told her.

"It still sucks just the same. Will you do me a favor?" I nodded. "These people are going to smother me the next few days, will you take me somewhere, if it gets to be too much?"

"Yeah, I know a place," I told her, as she sighed. I scrunched my face, when she started digging under her bed.

"This is my cancer box," she said to me, as she opened it. "This is me and Jake," she said showing me a picture.

"Fuck, you looked…"

"Sick, I know," she said with a laugh. "Jake and I shared a room, and when we found out we lived a town away from each other, we knew we were bonded for life. He was the only one I never pushed away."

"I understand that," I told her, and she smiled. "I don't want to share my life with you, at least not yet."

"That's okay," she said with another smile. "I've just wanted to be your friend. I believe in paying it forward. Please, don't take that the wrong way. That day you came over, I told my mom I was done trying to be your friend. She looked me in the face and asked me what I would've done if all my friends gave up on me. I just want to be someone else's rock…everyone is mine…"

"Give me time, and I'll give you my story, which doesn't feel so bad anymore," I told her, as I laughed.

"Who says your story isn't as bad as mine?"

"I didn't almost die," I told her.

"I'm still here, and as of now, I will be for a while," she said with a brilliant smile. "I miss him. He knew this was coming for six months. I had a feeling, but yesterday was when I knew his fight was over. He asked to touch my boobs," she said with a laugh.

"You let him?"

"Hell yeah," she said, as we laughed. "This sucks," she said, as her tears came.

Once again, my body worked faster than my brain, and I hugged her to my chest. I hugged her tight, and it felt good as hell when her arms hugged me back. I let out a shaky breath, feeling tears prick my eyes. I even let out a stupid fucking sniffle.

"I swear, I will nut punch you, if you cry," she said making me laugh loudly.

"I haven't been hugged since I was ten," I told her, as she looked up to me with a quivering chin. "I swear, I will nut punch you if you cry for me," I told her, and she laughed and hugged me again. I hugged her back without even thinking about it. "I think you were Jake's rock."

"I was," she said into my shirt.

"You're my rock, too," I whispered in her ear. She hugged me even tighter, and I felt lighter. It was in that moment, I think, I fell in love with her.