"Are you sure you're fine to go to school today" Nate asked Nadia
"Why do I feel like we've had this conversation before" Nadia Joked
"Probably because we already have"
"I'm fine" She said putting her bag on her back "I wish I could say 'It's not like I'm dying or anything' but I think I missed that boat."
Nate looked at her
"I'm joking Dad"
"I know you are" He said "You want me to drop you at school?"
"Don't you have a job?" Nadia asked sarcastically "Anyway, mums there"
"But she can't look after you all the time"
"Neither can you, but you'd be surprised, mum can appear out of thin air"
"Alright then, see ya" He said kissing her on the cheek
"Love you" She said walking out the door
When she got to school she could feel the other kids looking at her. She went to her locker and put her stuff away.
"Hey are you alright?" Someone came up and asked her
"Are you my mum now Josh?" She asked
"No, at least I hope not" He joked "It's just after what happened you haven't been here for a while"
The bell rang. Nadia looked around and saw everyone going to class.
"I'll tell you at lunch" She said quietly
"Why not now?"
"It's complicated"
"Can't be that hard" He persisted
"I like you, but that's not even the half of it" Nadia said quietly as she walked off
"I like you too" Josh said to himself watching Nadia walk away
"Aw that's nice to know Josh, but It's not gonna get you an A so get to class" Mr McGuire said walking past
Josh ignored him and walked to class thinking about what Nadia had just said to him.
"You know liking me, it's not that complicated" Josh said walking past Nadia at the beach
Nadia turned around "I shouldn't have said that"
"Why is it such a bad thing"
"No, well kinda. But it's too hard to explain"
"Well un complicate it"
"I wish I could"
"What do you mean?"
Nadia took a deep breathe "I don't want to hurt you, but we can't be together. We're over"
"Before we even began"
"Yeah" Nadia said crying. She tried to walk off but Josh grabbed her arm.
"No, I won't let this happen"
"Why" Nadia creid looking into his eyes
"Because I love you too"
"You can't change the past"
"What happened in the past?"
Nadia paused for a second "I'm dying"
Josh let go of her arm and went blank
"Please say something" Nadia asked quietly
"How?"
"I have cancer"
"How long?"
"What, how long I've had it or how long I have left"
"Both" Josh said sitting down in the sand
"I've had it since I was 5" She said sitting next to him "And I have 6-12 months left"
"Can't you have chemo or something?"
"It's too late. It's my time"
"What? You can't just do nothing"
"Yes I can. I don't want to risk making myself sicker just so I might get some extra time when I can be healthy and happy for the next year or so"
"You don't seem that scared"
"I've had 10 years to deal with it, What ever comes I'm ready"
"What are you doing here if you're dying"
"I'm here because my family's back together and that's all I want"
"Is that all" Josh asked
"Maybe a boy would be nice too" She joked
Josh laughed away the tears and put his arm around Nadia holding her closer. They looked out into the ocean
"We should probably go back to school" Nadia said
"Just a little longer" Josh said resting his chin on her head.