Author's Note: To my beautiful Kristina (Ms antrop), I just want to say how much I love and izzy you. You are and will always be my one true love; and you encourage me beyond words to keep writing; you helped me find the joy in writing again. I can't express to you enough how so extremely grateful I am to have you as my twin-flame/soulmate (insert heart emojis here) All of what I write is dedicated to you, my Kristina, you are my multiverse. Thank you ever so much for always being here for me, my angel. (Insert heart emojis here)

Also wanted to note that this chapter was a bit challenging to write as some of it is based off what I experienced myself as I was there with my grandma through the dying process. I still don't like to think about it but I don't regret for one second being able to sit with my grandma those last few days she was alive. Grandma was the absolute best grandma anyone could ever have and I will forever cherish those last moments I got to spend with her. May her beautiful soul rest in peace.

Chapter Three

The room didn't feel quite the same. It had an emptiness to it. And it wasn't just because the room was so cold that Lorna's teeth were chattering. She inhaled sharply, squeezing her eyes momentarily shut. Once she felt strong enough, she reopened her eyes and cautiously made her way over to the bed her mother lay in. Her brown orbs gradually fixed themselves on the pale woman in the bed. She swallowed an uncomfortable lump while letting her eyes stare down at her mom's chest. Relieved to see it still moving. At least her mother was still breathing, still hanging onto that last bit of life.

She anxiously placed a hand on her mother's face, grateful to feel the warmth that still radiated from her near-death skin. The silent room immediately echoed with a sound Lorna would never be able to erase from her memory. She was tempted to leave the room and never go back but she bit the bottom of her lip and moved her hand to her mother's chin, pushing it up to close her mouth in the hopes that it would stop the gargling sound. It didn't. The sound continued only slightly muffled.

Lorna swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the terrifying sound. She tried to remind herself that this was still her mother, but it was hard to think of that when the gargled breathing echoed loudly throughout the entire room. She couldn't think at all with that echoing in her ears. It took up the entire space of her head. It was merely impossible to concentrate on anything else. A lump sat in the pit of her stomach. Was this it? Was this the day she would witness her mother take her last breath? The thought alone made her entire face turn pale. Nothing could prepare her for such a moment.

However, what happened next shocked her and kept a sliver of hope sitting in the back of her mind. She watched with wide eyes as Mrs. Morello suddenly pushed her way up into a sitting position. If she hadn't looked directly into her mother's eyes, she would have thought everything was okay and she was coming out of this strange in-between phase. But she had looked into her eyes and felt every hair on her body stick up like a porcupine's pointy fur.

The look in her mom's eyes terrified Lorna and would forever be imprinted in her brain. They were glassy, watery, and dead appearing. Lorna was frozen in her spot. She couldn't think or move or even breathe. Not even when, out of the corner of her eye, she could see Stansie—in almost a zombie-like state—moving her legs over the railing of the medical bed and trying to push her way out.

Nothing prepared her for this. No one told her just how scary it would be to watch her mother die. She didn't even know if she could handle this when it was all said and done. She couldn't handle right at the moment, either. Her body was frozen in the chair. All she could do was sit there and watch everything unfold in horror. Her breath caught in her chest; she tried to move but her legs refused to budge.

Mr. Morello entered the room just at the worst—yet right—time. He rapidly grabbed his wife and placed her back in the bed. Rage took over his face as he glared darkly at his daughter. He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her out of the seat. "The fuck's the matter with ya? Did ya not see your mother almost fall? Ya little shit! Leave now and you ain't coming back," he yelled, dragging her towards the door and pushing her out of the room.

Albeit it only being a day since her mother's funeral, Joe Morello forced Lorna out of bed and in the car for school. He shook his head while speeding down the road in lieu of the high school. His head slightly turned to stare fiercely at the petite brunette. "I don't give a shit if yesterday was your motha's funeral, ya going to school today. I can't deal with your ass at home all day."

Lorna kept her mouth shut the entire ride, thankful when they pulled up to her school's parking lot. She barely waited for the car to stop before exiting the vehicle. But not before her father grabbed harshly onto her wrist and yanked her backwards. His grip was so tight that Lorna could feel his nails digging into her skin. She swallowed a lump, turning her head timidly to stare at him.

"You don't get outta my car until it's fucking stopped, ya fucking brat. Ya wanna get run over?" He yelled, saliva flying out along with his words and landing on the brunette. He gave a final push to her and drove off.

She made her way into the building, drained and numb on the inside. Her mind was far away from school. Far away from reality. She sucked in a breath and forced her legs to keep moving. When she made it to her locker, she quickly grabbed her books out of it. She shut it and started heading to her first class.

"Oh, look it's the little Morello girl who fakes fainting to get outta answering questions," a voice tauntingly called out.

Lorna gripped her books tighter. She timidly lifted her head to stare up at who the voice belonged to and inwardly shuttered when she recognized the blonde teenager to be the girl from her science class. The same girl who shouted cancer and caused her to faint, she remembered. She didn't say anything, just kept walking.

That immediately angered the other girl. She came up behind her and pushed her just enough to make her trip and fall. "When I talk to you, ya better answer. Don't be a rude bitch," she growled, glaring menacingly at the brunette.

There was no energy in her to deal with this. She barely had the energy to function now and she had to fight off a classmate. A lump sat in back of her throat. She didn't know what to do. What she wanted to do was go back home and crawl in her bed for an eternity, but she knew her father wouldn't allow that. She sighed. Ever since her mother was diagnosed with the cancer, Mr. Morello changed. He wasn't the father figure that Lorna needed anymore. He was a cold-hearted stranger.

"Hello," the teenager mocked, waving her hand aggressively in Lorna's face. She shook heard with a smirk. "Pretending you can't hear now? That's not very nice. Guess your mom didn't teach ya manners, did she?"

Cancer. Cancer is what makes cells divide uncontrollably. Cancer. Mom has cancer, Lorna. She has cancer. Cancer. Lorna squeezed her eyes shut, reaching both of her hands up to grab onto either side of her head. The gesture didn't help at all—she still heard the cancer echoing loudly in her mind no matter how tight she held onto her head. Her heart started pounding in her chest; it was almost too hard to breathe.

The taller girl only snickered, tapping her foot with a slight attitude. "Wow, and now you're putting on a real show. You're fucking crazy, Morello. What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Cancer!" Lorna's voice shouted, her eyes still squeezed shut and hands still covering the sides of her head. "Cancer! Cancer is what makes cells divide uncontrollably!"

"Hmmph. You're fucking retarded, Lorna. What the hell? They should put ya in special-ed!" The blonde continued to taunt and ridicule her. Laughing all the while.

Lorna finally gathered the strength to move again and pushed herself up before running down the hallway to the nearest bathroom. She locked herself in one of the stalls, trying to catch her breath. A wave of nausea came over her and instead, she found herself heaving into the toilet. She heaved until the only thing that was coming out was stomach acid. It felt like she was cleansing herself with each purge—purging away all the negativity, all the anxiety of every little thought that tore through her mind. She didn't want it to stop. But then she remembered she was locked in a stall in the high school and the number of germs that must have been surrounding her at that moment had to be infinite.

She quickly flushed the commode and hurried out of the stall to the sink. She let the water run over her arms for several minutes before grabbing soap and lathering it harshly around her skin. The smell of cigarette smoke gained her focus. She shut off the faucet, grabbing a paper towel to dry off her hands, and slowly followed the scent.

An open stall at the end of the bathroom is where the smell led her to. She curiously peaked her head to see who was causing such an aroma to fill the room.