Disclaimer- Still not mine.
Author Notes- Thanks to Peanut who has taken to beta reading for me, I appreicate it kid! A special thanks to everyone who reviewed, I love you guys!
Chapter 13- An Easy Lie (Brad's POV)
The effects of the chemo had become painfully obvious. Randy didn't seem to react badly at first, but as time went on, and as the doctors continued to up the dosage, the effects were becoming more and more clear. It also became clear Randy tried harder and harder to hide them. He and I are the only ones home today, Mom took Mark shopping and Dad is at the hardware store. Randy lay crumpled against the side of the couch, and I sit on the other end.
"I can move to the chair if you'd like to spread out."
"No, I'm good." We've fallen into a companionable silence and focus our attention on the movie we'd rented the day before. I let out a loud snicker and glance over at him, to find he's looking a bit green.
"Randy?"
"Excuse me." He replies, bolting from the room. We've gotten use to this, so I hit pause on the remote, quickly grab some soda and some saltine crackers and wait for him at the counter. He returns, smiles at me sheepishly and gratefully accepts the plate and glass. "Sorry."
"Hey, nothing to be sorry for." I reply with a tight smile. He's still embarrassed when it happens. He can't help it, and we try to just have something to settle his stomach ready when he wanders back, but I can tell that it bothers him.
"What did I miss in the movie?" Randy asks, with an obvious attempt to pull the conversation and thoughts away from himself.
"I put it on pause."
"You didn't have to do that."
"I know, but I did." We settle back into the room, falling this time into a slightly uncomfortable silence as I restart the movie. My attentions are only half on the movie. For the most part my attention seems to be fixated on Randy, who seems to fight to stay awake. He lost a lot of weight since he's started the Chemo, and there have been a few days he couldn't go to school because he was so ill. All of his teachers knew of the situation, so if he suddenly got nauseated, they didn't mind if he slipped from the room. He'd been hospitalized once, after passing out at school. I'd never been so scared when a student aid hurried into the room and my teacher excused me.
"What are you thinking about?" Randy asks suddenly.
"Soccer." I reply, an easy lie that slips off my tongue, and I hope he buys it. Its clear by the look on his face, he doesn't.
"I've never seen you look like that when you think about Soccer."
"I have a game coming up, I'm a little worried about it is all." Another lie, this time however, Randy has either given up, or accepts the explanation, its hard to tell which by the look on his face.
"I'm going to go." He says and I know my smile is only half assed at best. I want him there, I do, but I'm worried. Apparently he can see this. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Will Mark go?" There's a long pause before Randy shrugs.
"I don't know, he might not if I'm there." I feel a pang of guilt for Randy then. He didn't really know why Mark avoided him so. I knew, only because I cornered him and forced it out of him. He fears hurting Randy in anyway, whether it be physical or emotional. He doesn't know that keeping his distance probably hurts him more than anything he could say to him.
"He's not avoiding you because your sick." I say at last. Randy simply watches me with dull eyes. I don't know if I should say anything else, but the look on Randy's face convinces me that he should know Mark doesn't mean to hurt him. "He's afraid of hurting you in some way. He doesn't want to say the wrong thing or move the wrong way to jostle you and cause you anymore pain than your already in." Randy's eyes soften at this.
"He shouldn't worry about it." He replies at length. "I'm sorry I scare him, but I think I really should talk to him about it." I can only nod in agreement, and hope that things work out. Mark and Randy had never been close, and the two never got along all that well, but we're still family, and we need to stick together right now. Randy lets out a small yawn that he tries to stifle and shakes his head.
"Why don't you go lie down, I'll have Mark go down and talk to you when he gets home." Randy smiles and nods his agreement, and shuffles down to the basement, the video long forgotten.
Author Notes- Thanks to Peanut who has taken to beta reading for me, I appreicate it kid! A special thanks to everyone who reviewed, I love you guys!
Chapter 13- An Easy Lie (Brad's POV)
The effects of the chemo had become painfully obvious. Randy didn't seem to react badly at first, but as time went on, and as the doctors continued to up the dosage, the effects were becoming more and more clear. It also became clear Randy tried harder and harder to hide them. He and I are the only ones home today, Mom took Mark shopping and Dad is at the hardware store. Randy lay crumpled against the side of the couch, and I sit on the other end.
"I can move to the chair if you'd like to spread out."
"No, I'm good." We've fallen into a companionable silence and focus our attention on the movie we'd rented the day before. I let out a loud snicker and glance over at him, to find he's looking a bit green.
"Randy?"
"Excuse me." He replies, bolting from the room. We've gotten use to this, so I hit pause on the remote, quickly grab some soda and some saltine crackers and wait for him at the counter. He returns, smiles at me sheepishly and gratefully accepts the plate and glass. "Sorry."
"Hey, nothing to be sorry for." I reply with a tight smile. He's still embarrassed when it happens. He can't help it, and we try to just have something to settle his stomach ready when he wanders back, but I can tell that it bothers him.
"What did I miss in the movie?" Randy asks, with an obvious attempt to pull the conversation and thoughts away from himself.
"I put it on pause."
"You didn't have to do that."
"I know, but I did." We settle back into the room, falling this time into a slightly uncomfortable silence as I restart the movie. My attentions are only half on the movie. For the most part my attention seems to be fixated on Randy, who seems to fight to stay awake. He lost a lot of weight since he's started the Chemo, and there have been a few days he couldn't go to school because he was so ill. All of his teachers knew of the situation, so if he suddenly got nauseated, they didn't mind if he slipped from the room. He'd been hospitalized once, after passing out at school. I'd never been so scared when a student aid hurried into the room and my teacher excused me.
"What are you thinking about?" Randy asks suddenly.
"Soccer." I reply, an easy lie that slips off my tongue, and I hope he buys it. Its clear by the look on his face, he doesn't.
"I've never seen you look like that when you think about Soccer."
"I have a game coming up, I'm a little worried about it is all." Another lie, this time however, Randy has either given up, or accepts the explanation, its hard to tell which by the look on his face.
"I'm going to go." He says and I know my smile is only half assed at best. I want him there, I do, but I'm worried. Apparently he can see this. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Will Mark go?" There's a long pause before Randy shrugs.
"I don't know, he might not if I'm there." I feel a pang of guilt for Randy then. He didn't really know why Mark avoided him so. I knew, only because I cornered him and forced it out of him. He fears hurting Randy in anyway, whether it be physical or emotional. He doesn't know that keeping his distance probably hurts him more than anything he could say to him.
"He's not avoiding you because your sick." I say at last. Randy simply watches me with dull eyes. I don't know if I should say anything else, but the look on Randy's face convinces me that he should know Mark doesn't mean to hurt him. "He's afraid of hurting you in some way. He doesn't want to say the wrong thing or move the wrong way to jostle you and cause you anymore pain than your already in." Randy's eyes soften at this.
"He shouldn't worry about it." He replies at length. "I'm sorry I scare him, but I think I really should talk to him about it." I can only nod in agreement, and hope that things work out. Mark and Randy had never been close, and the two never got along all that well, but we're still family, and we need to stick together right now. Randy lets out a small yawn that he tries to stifle and shakes his head.
"Why don't you go lie down, I'll have Mark go down and talk to you when he gets home." Randy smiles and nods his agreement, and shuffles down to the basement, the video long forgotten.