Chapter Fifteen

The truth. The words had haunted her for a week now. It was as if a small voice was whispering them to her over and over in her head. The truth. The truth. The truth.

What was the truth?

You have feelings for Aaron, Rebecca, the voice now said. All you have to do is acknowledge them. You let him kiss you. You told him everything. You trusted him with all of your thoughts.

Rebecca knew all of these were true. She had refused to think about them since that horrible day when she'd found out about Aaron's secrets. For heaven's sake, woman, you showed him the massaging chairs! She couldn't help but smile at this thought. Yes, she had shown him everything, even her heart. But now Aaron wasn't there on her last week of freedom, the phone wasn't ringing and his voice wasn't on the other end, asking her what she wanted to do that night. And only three days from now, she would be facing her first treatment, and she couldn't help but feel empty knowing when she came home Aaron wouldn't be there on her front step with a board game in hand.

Another wave of nausea. Rebecca rolled over on the couch and groaned, trying to stanch the tears but unable to do so. She planted her fists hard against the back of the couch, wanting to beat it to pieces. It wasn't fair!

"Honey, maybe you should move to your bed. It would be more comfortable there," her mother's soft voice said from behind her.

Her stomach felt like it was on a roller coaster and she'd had too much cotton candy. The feeling would never end. She felt like all of her organs were sloshing around inside her, every one of them out of place in the sea of queasiness. She imagined all of her arteries and veins being twisted up along with all her organs, her heart working overtime to pump blood through the knotted tubes until they exploded with the pressure.

Rebecca grimacing, thinking about the gruesome picture that created. She would laugh about her thoughts on any other day. But that was how she felt… like her insides were exploding and she could do nothing but sit here on the couch and bear with it. She couldn't die, either. Couldn't be put out of her misery.

"No… no," Rebecca moaned. She tried to smile up at her mother, who had been more than patient for the last three hours… and she had days of this left! "It's okay. I wouldn't feel any better in my bed. I like the distraction of the TV."

Her mother frowned as the doorbell rang, and Rebecca knew her thoughts matched her own. Who could possibly be calling now?

But she knew, even before he said her mother's name. "Mrs. Pier."

"Hello, Aaron!" her mother said enthusiastically, even though Rebecca had already told her everything about the Dare and how he'd lied to her. "Rebecca isn't feeling good today… well, maybe you already know that. Sorry to turn you away, any other day we wouldn't have, but perhaps—"

"I believe I promised Rebecca that I would be here with board games on her front step until she let me in. I'm not going to go and break another promise. That would make my promise a lie, and I couldn't do that," Aaron persisted.

Rebecca buried her face into her pillow. Mom, don't you dare let him in! she thought. Not when I'm looking like this.

"I'm not so sure she would welcome you just now," Rebecca's mother sounded very unsure as she stood at the door.

Yet again a wave of nausea hit her hard, and her stomach clenched up. It was like having the flu without being able to empty your stomach of its contents. She stretched her legs to the end of the couch and pressed her feet against the armrest until the worst of the sickness was gone.

"Well, I told her that I would sit on her steps until she let me in," Aaron said with a tight voice. "I brought Monopoly, and tomorrow it will be the Game of Life. So whatever she prefers…"

"Alright, Aaron, but I hope you brought a book," Mrs. Pier said with a sigh, and Rebecca silently thanked her mother. "You can sit on the porch chairs if you'd like."

"Thank you Mrs. Pier."

Rebecca sighed into her pillow. She was so tired, and she wanted to just sleep like she had in the hospital… And she fell asleep thinking, I sat with him in the massaging chairs.