Day 21

Pretty rose

Dustin didn't know why but Jane was giving him a lot of flowers these times, roses to be precise. She never explained herself about why she did that but he liked the flowers and kept them all in his room or on him, not knowing why he was so happy to have these roses.

An afternoon in the midle of december, when the two of them were at the library and that Dustin was trying to explain scientic lessons to Jane, she left for a moment and came back with many roses she gave to Dustin with a tired smile. He accepted the flowers but frowned, remembering that it wasn't logic that she had that type of flower in the middle of december.

"Jane... How is it possible that you find so many roses and so easily these last months?

-I... Just like that.

-Explain, I'm intrigued."

Jane retreat on herself without wanting to answer before resign.

"They came out of my mouth."

Dustin felt bad and tried to convince himself he misheard.

"What?

-The roses. They came out of my mouth.

-Please, tell me it's a joke.

-Friends don't lie."

-o-o-o-

Hopper was mad at Dustin and and accused him to not notice before the condition of Jane and he could understand why. He saw Jane giving him distress signals about her condition for a long time and he didn't see anything. Also, since she arrived at he hospital, he had no right to see her.

After fifteen days at the hospital, Jane finally came out and Dustin saw her. Well, she went to see him when no one was watching her and when she could surprise Dustin. And it was the case because he wasn't waiting to see her threw rocks at his window.

His mother was asleep in front ot the television so he hurried himself out of the house so Jane wouldn't wake her up. He closed the door behind him and watch his friend with worry. He knew that their medecine had nothing to cure the Hanahaki so if she were out, it was because no one could do anything for her.

"El?

-Hello Dustin."

He could see how bad she was. Even if she wasn't coughing, little roses has bloom on her lips and were growing inside her lungs, making her breathing more and more hard and whistling.

"Why are you here? You should stay at your home and rest.

-Why?

-Please."

He had no idea why he was pleading her but he had tears in his eyes. Jane got closer to him and just started to cough violently, make fall to the ground many red roses. He went forward too and took her in his arms

"I'm sorry, I don't know how to help you to go better. If only you could tell me who you love so I could help you."

-You can't.

-Maybe I can! Just tell me who it is"

Jane coughed again on his shoulder and step away, giving him one of the roses she just spit. Dustin felt an anger growing inside and started to cry.

"But why do you give me these damn flowers? Why me?"

Jane didn't answer, still offering him the rose with hope in her eyes that Dustin just couldn't understand.

"You should give to the one, I don't know who, you love! Stop giving them to me, it won't work, it's just going to-!"

He started to cough violently, feeling suddenly having a sore throat after talking so loudly, and bent on himself, crying a little more. Jane got closer, worried, when he spit a yellow rose who fell on the ground, between them.

Dustin stepped on the flower with his foot as fast as possible but Jane had seen it. She had finally seen one.

He raised his terrified eyes on her and at this moment, she fell on the ground. He step aside her and shook her to wake her up, vainely, before running to his mother, screaming, so she could do something, she could do anything.