CHAPTER 2
"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!"
"I don't care, I don't care, I don't care!"
"It was just a big mistake."
"We're friends Lily, just good friends who made a mistake, a big, big mistake that we can't make again."
Lily sits up quickly in bed, too many memories are running through her head, today had opened a can of worms that Lily didn't know if she could handle. What Travis had said about them kissing was true, it nearly ruined friendships and it had almost broken Lily the first and Lily knew that her entire life was already cracked down the middle, on the verge of breaking into a million pieces, and Lily wasn't sure if her life could handle any more stress.
"Hey Travis." Ray and Robbie greet Travis the next day.
"Hey, where's Lily?" Travis asks glancing around and hoping that she isn't avoiding him.
"She wasn't in first period." Robbie responds.
"Lily? Missing a day of school?" Ray questions, "Lily never misses school. I can't think of a single day she's missed in high school."
"I'll see you guys later." Travis states before beginning to walk away.
"Aren't you coming to lunch?" Ray asks.
Travis shakes his head, "I'm not hungry."
Travis had never ditched before but somehow he finds himself halfway to Lily's house before he realizes that lunch doesn't give him enough time to get to Lily's house and back in time for the class. This doesn't stop him though because when he had been at Lily's he house he had gotten the feeling that Lily was keeping something from their group of friends and that is what gets Travis to ring Lily's doorbell. He has to wait several minutes before the door is pulled open by Lily who has red, puffy eyes and is still in her pajamas.
"Travis what are you doing here?"
"You weren't in school." Travis states dumbly.
"Yeah." Lily responds shifting uncomfortably as she seems to be struggling with some sort of internal battle. "Um, I guess you can come in." She allows him inside and then closes the front door with a sigh.
"You've been crying." Great, another dumb obvious statement for Travis.
"Yeah, there's a lot going on with my family right now." Lily responds sitting on the living room couch and motioning for Travis to do the same.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Cause every time I fall down I reach out to you
Lily takes a deep breath and finally responds, "my mom's dying."
She's fooled all of her friends into thinking she's so strong
This shocks Travis more than anything else she could have said. "What? How?"
"She um," Lily takes a deep controlling breath, "she has cancer."
"Well that doesn't mean she's going to die. They have so many treatments for cancer now."
Lily shakes her head, the treatments not working, they've been treating her with chemo and radiation and so many different medications."
"You have to give them some time." Travis is pulling at strings, cancer is something he doesn't know much about, but so far what he's said sound right.
Lily shakes her head again, "they've been treating her for two years, there's nothing they can do for her anymore."
"Lily I had no idea..." Travis can't help but wonder if the distance had put between them had made her feel like she couldn't come to him.
She's a question without answers
"You could have come to me, I wouldn't have told Ray or Robbie."
Lily laughs, "right."
"You could have."
"Travis, you and I have probably had a total of an our and a half of conversation in two years. We haven't been there for each other."
She's calling out to you
"I'm here now Lily, what can I do?" Travis gently touches Lily's arm.
"I don't know what to do Travis. I feel like I have to cry but I can't cry anymore. I don't want her to die, she's my Mom, I know she's in pain but I don't want her to die. It's not fair, why does she have to die?"
I'm asking you to show me what life is all about
Travis isn't sure whether Lily wants a response but when the silence continues Lily just leans her head on Travis' shoulder and he wraps his arm around her, holding her close to him as she shakes. "Things just happen Lily, we can't always know why they happen." Travis remains in this position for awhile and withing 20 minutes he realizes that Lily has fallen asleep on his chest. He tries not to move to allow Lily some peace in her sleep but 30 minutes later Travis' cell phone rings and he quickly answers it, careful not to disturb Lily.
"Hello?"
"Travis, where are you?" Robbie's voice sounds shocked, "you missed a history test."
"I had something to take care of," Travis responds softly.
"You had something...are you with Lily?" Robbie asks. "Is something going on between you two again?"
"There's nothing going on between Lily and me," Travis assure, "you can tell Ray that."
"Hang on." Robbie states and then all Travis can hear is static.
"Travis? It's Ray?"
"Hello Ray." Travis responds, unsure of why there was a change of people on the other line.
"I just want to say that if you are Lily are back to kissing or whatever, well that's alright because Kylie and I are happy together, so if you and Lily are together you don't have to hide it."
"We aren't together. Lily and I are only friends." Travis assures.
"Well for future reference then."
"Alright, good-bye Ray." Travis tries to get off the phone before Ray asks about Lily.
"Oh Travis," Ray calls before Travis can hang up.
"Are you and Lily coming to the station at four or what?"
"I'm not exactly sure."
"Alright, whatever's going on with Lily..."
"Who said there was something going on with Lily?" Travis asks.
"Come on Travis." Ray sighs, "anyway, whatever is going on with Lily tell her Robbie and I can be here for her too. And if you guys don't make it today I'll cover for you."
"I'll pass along the message."
"Alright, later Travis."
"Who was..." Lily trails back off as she falls back asleep before completing her sentence, snuggling closer to Travis in the process.
"How long have I been asleep?" Lily asks as she slowly wakes up.
"An hour and a half."
Lily sits up quickly, "you sat here for an hour and a half without moving?"
Travis shrugs, "it's no big deal."
"Travis!" Lily exclaims, "I can't...you..."
"You were out, I wasn't going to wake you up."
"Were you talking on the phone? Or did I dream that?"
"Yeah, Robbie and Ray called, they were wondering where you were. Ray wanted to know if we were going to the station today."
"I don't know if I'm up to it." Lily responds.
Travis nods, "that's okay, I'll stay with you. Ray said he would cover for us. He also said to tell you that he and Robbie are here for you too."
"You told them?" Lily's voice holds pure betrayal.
"No, they don't know anything, they just figure out that there was something going on."
Lily sighs, "it not fair to hide things from them, I'll go down to the station."