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Gordo leaned back and took a deep breath. This was going to be hard. He knew it would. But, they had to know. He felt Lizzie's hand tighten on his own, Miranda had a hand on his shoulder, both watching, waiting.
"What is it, Gordo?" Lizzie asked gently.
A strange chill took over his body, he closed his eyes for a moment then looked at them both. "I have leukemia."
"W-what?" Miranda asked as a straggled outcry burst from Lizzie's lips. "Are they sure?"
Gordo nodded, and grasped Miranda's hand, and squeezed tighter on Lizzie's. "They're sure. Those days I've missed from school, I've been going to the doctor's."
The girl's weren't taking this well. Hell, he hadn't taken it well. Steadily he continued with the information. He'd known since summer. They'd added him to bone marrow donor's list and were waiting to find a match. His body hadn't responded to the treatments he'd received this far.
"You knew in the summer?" Lizzie asked, tears sliding down her face. "Why didn't you tell us then?"
Gordo sighed. "I wanted to. But I wanted to be normal. I didn't want everyone to think I would break if someone looked at me funny. I wanted to do things exactly like I always had."
"What happened before you got to Lizzie's house then?" Miranda asked. "Last week, when you were jumpy, and you dropped the mug."
Gordo stared at his legs underneath the blanket. The more he talked, the less the words wanted to flow. "I-I," he had to pause. "I'm losing the fight."
Lizzie locked up, Gordo could see the stiffness in her body.
Miranda's shoulders started to shake. "No," she stated. "You can't."
Gordo's throat felt like sandpaper, his head ached, but not as much as his heart. The girls were his closest friends, he knew he'd kept them out so long, but he didn't want to be different. And in the early stages, it hadn't seemed like he'd had it. If he didn't talk about it, it wasn't there. But time was a evil enemy, it presses on. Each passing day, the leukemia cells multiplied, and his body grew weaker and weaker against them.
"The cells are multiplying," saying the words out loud broke every barrier he'd built, tears flooded his vision. "I-the doctors don't know how much time I have."
Lizzie flung her arms around him, squeezing him tight. Gordo pulled Miranda into the hug and they held each other.
Roberta opened the door and looked at the three. "Miranda, Lizzie," she called softly.
Gordo let his arms slide down from the embrace, his eye catching the clock on the wall. It was past visiting hours.
"Do we have to leave?" Lizzie sniffed, her beautiful face red and tear streaked.
"You can come see him tomorrow, Roberta replied, gently.
Both girls hugged him again. "I'll come see you tomorrow," Lizzie stated.
"Me too," Miranda agreed.
He smiled, his vocal cords wouldn't cooperate now, and he didn't trust himself to open his mouth. He watched sadly as they left the room. He leaned his head back against the pillow. Hating his body for being weak, hating himself for hurting the girls so much, hating his heart for breaking.
***
Lizzie sat numbly inside Miranda's car. Their parents had tried desperately to convince the two not to drive. Miranda had insisted and Lizzie said she needed the alone time. Finally, they'd allowed the girls to go, only if they promised to drive straight home.
Lizzie couldn't believe it, Gordo couldn't possibly have leukemia. Tears began to slide silently down her cheeks.
"It's going to be all right," Miranda stated weakly.
"No it's not!" Lizzie exclaimed. "It's not going to be all right! He's lying in a hospital bed! He has leukemia!"
"Don't you think I know this?" Miranda snapped. "I was I there too Lizzie! I saw him, I heard him! You're not the only one who cares about him! He's my best friend too!"
Lizzie roughly ran her hands through her hair, this wasn't the way it was supposed to be going. She and Miranda needed to stick together, not jump at each other like this. "Miranda, I'm sorry," she stated. "I just don't know what to do! We-we can't lose him."
The car fell silent, Lizzie leaned her head back against the seat and listened to the hum of the engine. She wanted to scream, she wanted to kick and yell. But she couldn't, not this time.
Miranda pulled up in front of the house. Lizzie briefly said goodbye before she ran up the drive and into her house. Her parents weren't home yet and she ran straight to her room.
Sobbing, she fell down onto the bed, her body heaved with tears. She cried until her throat hurt and she was exhausted. She wasn't sure how long she'd cried, but shortly after she stopped, the bedroom door opened and her mother stood in the doorway, dressed in a night gown. "Lizzie honey," she called, her voice soft as she came into the room. "Do you want to talk?"
"What's there to talk about?" she sniffed.
"There's a lot to talk about Lizzie," Jo began but Lizzie cut her off.
"There's nothing I want to hear about! I-I just want to be alone, please."
Jo sighed, she nodded and left the room.
Lizzie gazed around the room, assorted pictures of her, Miranda, and Gordo hung on the walls. He was too young, it wasn't fair. She sighed and stood up. Her bare feet crossed the room and she clicked out the light. Darkness enveloped her, she took slow steps until she was at her bed then climbed in, buried herself below the covers, and cried herself to sleep. ***
Miranda pulled out a scrapbook she'd worked on for the past few months. It was of her, Lizzie, and Gordo. So many different things, so many smiles.
She flipped to the more recent. A trip to Water Slide Wonderland, late August. Had he known by then? He was smiling, that'd been a great day. Another page. Pictures of the first day of senior year. Gordo getting into his locker. The trio posed on the steps.
He was barely eighteen, it wasn't fair that his time would be cut short. It wasn't fair that his body rejected the treatments. It wasn't fair that one of the most intelligent, caring, sensitive people she knew should be taken.
She sat down at the computer and clicked it on. After she was connected to the internet, she typed in leukemia. She read page after page, there was so much information. She began to think about what little bit he'd told them, and compared his behavior with symptoms, then she came to the conclusion he had a form of acute leukemia. When the disease was discovered it move quickly. Miranda had read all she could take. Standing up, she picked up her coat, then hurried down the stairs and outside. She need to walk. Maybe it would clear her head.
Her feet crunched over the snow on the starless night. She didn't know where she was going, she hardly glanced up to see when she crossed the street, but she was surprised at where she wound up. The hospital. She shivered, her nose and cheeks cold, her fingers had long since become numb against the cold. She took a deep breath and walked forward. She would see him, it didn't matter if she had to put on a gown and pretend to be a doctor, there was no one else she could talk to. She stepped through the sliding doors to the emergency room.
Gordo leaned back and took a deep breath. This was going to be hard. He knew it would. But, they had to know. He felt Lizzie's hand tighten on his own, Miranda had a hand on his shoulder, both watching, waiting.
"What is it, Gordo?" Lizzie asked gently.
A strange chill took over his body, he closed his eyes for a moment then looked at them both. "I have leukemia."
"W-what?" Miranda asked as a straggled outcry burst from Lizzie's lips. "Are they sure?"
Gordo nodded, and grasped Miranda's hand, and squeezed tighter on Lizzie's. "They're sure. Those days I've missed from school, I've been going to the doctor's."
The girl's weren't taking this well. Hell, he hadn't taken it well. Steadily he continued with the information. He'd known since summer. They'd added him to bone marrow donor's list and were waiting to find a match. His body hadn't responded to the treatments he'd received this far.
"You knew in the summer?" Lizzie asked, tears sliding down her face. "Why didn't you tell us then?"
Gordo sighed. "I wanted to. But I wanted to be normal. I didn't want everyone to think I would break if someone looked at me funny. I wanted to do things exactly like I always had."
"What happened before you got to Lizzie's house then?" Miranda asked. "Last week, when you were jumpy, and you dropped the mug."
Gordo stared at his legs underneath the blanket. The more he talked, the less the words wanted to flow. "I-I," he had to pause. "I'm losing the fight."
Lizzie locked up, Gordo could see the stiffness in her body.
Miranda's shoulders started to shake. "No," she stated. "You can't."
Gordo's throat felt like sandpaper, his head ached, but not as much as his heart. The girls were his closest friends, he knew he'd kept them out so long, but he didn't want to be different. And in the early stages, it hadn't seemed like he'd had it. If he didn't talk about it, it wasn't there. But time was a evil enemy, it presses on. Each passing day, the leukemia cells multiplied, and his body grew weaker and weaker against them.
"The cells are multiplying," saying the words out loud broke every barrier he'd built, tears flooded his vision. "I-the doctors don't know how much time I have."
Lizzie flung her arms around him, squeezing him tight. Gordo pulled Miranda into the hug and they held each other.
Roberta opened the door and looked at the three. "Miranda, Lizzie," she called softly.
Gordo let his arms slide down from the embrace, his eye catching the clock on the wall. It was past visiting hours.
"Do we have to leave?" Lizzie sniffed, her beautiful face red and tear streaked.
"You can come see him tomorrow, Roberta replied, gently.
Both girls hugged him again. "I'll come see you tomorrow," Lizzie stated.
"Me too," Miranda agreed.
He smiled, his vocal cords wouldn't cooperate now, and he didn't trust himself to open his mouth. He watched sadly as they left the room. He leaned his head back against the pillow. Hating his body for being weak, hating himself for hurting the girls so much, hating his heart for breaking.
***
Lizzie sat numbly inside Miranda's car. Their parents had tried desperately to convince the two not to drive. Miranda had insisted and Lizzie said she needed the alone time. Finally, they'd allowed the girls to go, only if they promised to drive straight home.
Lizzie couldn't believe it, Gordo couldn't possibly have leukemia. Tears began to slide silently down her cheeks.
"It's going to be all right," Miranda stated weakly.
"No it's not!" Lizzie exclaimed. "It's not going to be all right! He's lying in a hospital bed! He has leukemia!"
"Don't you think I know this?" Miranda snapped. "I was I there too Lizzie! I saw him, I heard him! You're not the only one who cares about him! He's my best friend too!"
Lizzie roughly ran her hands through her hair, this wasn't the way it was supposed to be going. She and Miranda needed to stick together, not jump at each other like this. "Miranda, I'm sorry," she stated. "I just don't know what to do! We-we can't lose him."
The car fell silent, Lizzie leaned her head back against the seat and listened to the hum of the engine. She wanted to scream, she wanted to kick and yell. But she couldn't, not this time.
Miranda pulled up in front of the house. Lizzie briefly said goodbye before she ran up the drive and into her house. Her parents weren't home yet and she ran straight to her room.
Sobbing, she fell down onto the bed, her body heaved with tears. She cried until her throat hurt and she was exhausted. She wasn't sure how long she'd cried, but shortly after she stopped, the bedroom door opened and her mother stood in the doorway, dressed in a night gown. "Lizzie honey," she called, her voice soft as she came into the room. "Do you want to talk?"
"What's there to talk about?" she sniffed.
"There's a lot to talk about Lizzie," Jo began but Lizzie cut her off.
"There's nothing I want to hear about! I-I just want to be alone, please."
Jo sighed, she nodded and left the room.
Lizzie gazed around the room, assorted pictures of her, Miranda, and Gordo hung on the walls. He was too young, it wasn't fair. She sighed and stood up. Her bare feet crossed the room and she clicked out the light. Darkness enveloped her, she took slow steps until she was at her bed then climbed in, buried herself below the covers, and cried herself to sleep. ***
Miranda pulled out a scrapbook she'd worked on for the past few months. It was of her, Lizzie, and Gordo. So many different things, so many smiles.
She flipped to the more recent. A trip to Water Slide Wonderland, late August. Had he known by then? He was smiling, that'd been a great day. Another page. Pictures of the first day of senior year. Gordo getting into his locker. The trio posed on the steps.
He was barely eighteen, it wasn't fair that his time would be cut short. It wasn't fair that his body rejected the treatments. It wasn't fair that one of the most intelligent, caring, sensitive people she knew should be taken.
She sat down at the computer and clicked it on. After she was connected to the internet, she typed in leukemia. She read page after page, there was so much information. She began to think about what little bit he'd told them, and compared his behavior with symptoms, then she came to the conclusion he had a form of acute leukemia. When the disease was discovered it move quickly. Miranda had read all she could take. Standing up, she picked up her coat, then hurried down the stairs and outside. She need to walk. Maybe it would clear her head.
Her feet crunched over the snow on the starless night. She didn't know where she was going, she hardly glanced up to see when she crossed the street, but she was surprised at where she wound up. The hospital. She shivered, her nose and cheeks cold, her fingers had long since become numb against the cold. She took a deep breath and walked forward. She would see him, it didn't matter if she had to put on a gown and pretend to be a doctor, there was no one else she could talk to. She stepped through the sliding doors to the emergency room.