Before I start, I'd like to comment on a comment that one of my reviewers made. They said that Leukemia wasn't caused by radiation, but cured with it. Well, although causes of Leukemia are unknown, radiation is one of the possible causes- please read the following-

Risk Factors and the Causes of Leukemia Though risk factors are not necessarily equated with the causes of leukemia, they may help shed some light on the disease. Some research suggests that exposure to both low-energy radiation and high-energy radiation may be causes of leukemia. Scientists are continuing to investigate whether this is fact, and if so, how it can be applied to treatment and prevention.

So, my story does make sense. For more info you can go to- http/ , that's where I recieved my info. Okay, now onto the next chapter.

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Jimmy rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and yawned. He'd been up all night, working. He stared at the blank computer screen in front of him, thinking as hard as he possible could in his state of tiredness. He needed to find a cure for cancer. Jimmy knew that it would be almost impossible to find a cure. Scientists had worked on that problem for decades and had never came up with anything.

He knew that it might not be his fault. He couldn't be 100 percent sure that it was. But, it all fit. He knew that cancer was thought to be caused by radiation.

Jimmy stood up and stretched his legs. The clock read three. He needed to get some sleep. After all, he had school in the morning. Jimmy gave his lab another once-over and then left.

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"Have you seen her. . . "

"I can't believe it. . . "

"Completely gone. . . "

Those were a few of the conversations that Jimmy heard as he walked down the hallways towards class. At school, people were always gossiping about one person or another, so he thought nothing about it as he walked into the classroom and sat down at his desk.

Libby passed by his desk and sat down quickly, with an expression on her face as if she'd seen a ghost.

"What's wrong, Libby?" he asked.

"It's Cindy. . . " she said.

An alarm went off in Jimmy's brain. Was something seriously wrong with Cindy?

"What about Cindy?" he asked, calmly.

"She. . ." started Libby, but was intterupted by the collective gasp of the room, immediately followed by a long silence.

Cindy had sauntered into the room, filled with unusual pep. Contrast to her mood lately, she seemed happy. The only think wrong with the picture was the fact that her head was covered with a bandana, and underneath she was visibly bald.

Cindy had been nervous to shave her head, but she knew it was something that needed to be done. After hearing Sarah's story, she realized that she had a lot to be thankful for. Her illness had been discovered early, she had one of the best doctors around, and most of all she had Libby and Jimmy's support. That was what had made her decide to lose all of her hair. She knew that it would all eventually fall out anyway, so why not?

Sarah had helped her. She'd grabbed a mechanical razor from the back of the counter and set Cindy in a chair in the back. Then, she just shaved it off. Cindy found it odd that Sarah would do that, since it discouraged buying wigs from the shop at which she worked. Cindy had covered her eyes through the whole thing, and had only looked at Sarah's coaxing. It felt so odd. She had run her hand over her head, and felt nothing there. But, it wasn't unpleasent. Instead, Cindy enjoyed not having her hair in her eyes.

Cindy glanced around the room at the shocked expressions she saw on the faces of her peers. She had expected the reactions to be exactly as they were. She knew people would have no idea why she had done it, since they didn't know about her leukemia. But, that was about to change.

"Claaaaaaaaaas, Cindy had an anouncement to make!" said Ms. Fowl, as she sat behind her desk, and motioned for Cindy to step up in front of the class.

Cindy stood up, with an encouraging pat from Libby, and walked to the front of the classroom.

She turned and faced the class, waiting for something to happen, though she didn't know what. She had rarely ever felt as nervous as she did at that moment. She knew that as soon as she revealed to her friends that she had cancer, she would be opening up a new doorway. Cindy might not be considered a strong girl anymore, but the sick girl. She also knew that it was worth losing that title to be able to live with the support of her friends and family.

"Well, you may have noticed. . . " said Cindy, motioning to her hair, or lack there of, "That my hair is gone."

She watched as many kids leaned forward in their desks waiting for an explaination.

"The reason for this is. . . I have cancer." she said, quickly.

She watched the many reactions around the room. Libby and Jimmy sat stationary, since they already knew. Sheen and Carl exchanged glances, and most others just chatted in hushed voices.

Cindy continued, "It's leukemia. I've had it for a while, but I didn't know how to tell everyone."

After that, she sat down in her desk, trying to ignore the stares she recieved. But, she was glad that she had told them.

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He knew that Cindy had the right to know why she had cancer. He had to tell her, and no time was like the present. He sat at his kitchen table, that afternoon, after school.

Jimmy walked towards the front door, and made his way across the street to Cindy's house. He stood on her front porch for what felt like hours before ringing the doorbell. He was unsure what exactly he would say. But, before he could decide, Cindy opened the front door.

"Neutron?" she asked.

"Uh, hi Cindy." he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Can we talk for a minute?"

"Sure." replied Cindy, uncomfortably. She had no idea what it could be about.

Cindy followed Jimmy outside, and they sat in the back yard by the pool.

"So, could you tell me what this is about?" she asked.

"Yeah." he said.

Cindy waited for a moment, expecting him to speak. When he didn't, she cleared her throat.

"Okay, Cindy, this is what I wanted to tell you. . . I know why you have. . . cancer." he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Cindy, as she cocked her eyebrows.

"You know all of those trips into space? When we went to the moon, and Mars, and especially the trip through the Van Patten Radiation Belt." he replied, hoping that she would know what he was going to say without him actually having to finish his sentence.

"Your saying. . . that all of those trips. . . they caused this?" she asked.

Jimmy nodded. He waited for her to speak. He expected her to yell at him, or tell him that she never wanted to speak to him again. Instead, she did something very odd. She began to weep.

"I knew that I should have been more careful. . . " she said, in between sobs. Jimmy's eyes widened. She wasn't blaming him.

"It's okay." he said, unsure of what he should do next. He watched Cindy as she lowered her head in partial embarrasment, partial confusion. He put his arm around her shoulders and let her cry.

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There you go, chap. five. Please read and review.