Firstly, thank you to 'TheyKilledKenny8' and 'Meghan486' for the review. It means so much to me! I'd also like to apologise for the many typos and grammatical errors in the first chapter. I was tired when I wrote it.
Thanks for reading, and I'll send you a pretend cookie in the pretend mail if you review :)
Stan
It had been two days since we brought Kyle home to stay with us. He looked terrible, with bags under his eyes and the bruises on his skin made him look as if he'd been mugged. We had yet to convince him to eat something, and the lack of sugar was making his diabetes flare up. Mum was really worried. Every mealtime she would sit on the bed next to my friend, trying to persuade him to come and eat something. She told him he'd make himself ill, that we'd have to take him back to hospital. No effect whatsoever.
Of course I was scared for him as well. I knew that his kidneys could shut down again, like they had once before. I knew he was hurting badly. He'd lost his whole family in the space of a week, and had to adjust to a totally new life, alien to him. Sure, he'd stayed round before, but only for a day or two.
I came upstairs to my room after lunch that day to find the space where I could usually find him curled up like in a ball empty. Instead I found him in the bathroom, throwing up over the toilet bowl. I sat down beside him, brushing the red curls out of his sweaty face.
"Shall I get mom?" I asked, before cringing- mom had said to try and not use the 'm-word' in front of him much. He shook his head, retching again. He had nothing in his stomach at all by that time, so he sat back on his heels. I patted him awkwardly, and he leaned into me, closing his eyes and shutting out the world.
Kyle
I knew I should eat something. I knew I was going to put myself into hypoglycaemic shock. I was cold and clammy. Oh, I knew the signs well enough. I also knew I could give myself a seizure if I refused food for much longer.
The truth? I didn't care. I had no parents, and my brother had been taken to a foster home. Of course I didn't care. I'd had enough.
Stan
Mom came into our room one afternoon, something grasped in her hands. I recognised it as Kyle's glucose level monitor. She stood over him, not saying a word. He was curled up on the extra bed we'd put in my room for him, facing away from us. She sat next to him, and tapped him gently on the leg. He didn't look up.
"Kyle?" still nothing. Mom reached over and placed a hand on his forehead. I watched her, suddenly more worried than before.
"Kyle." Mom's voice was firmer now. "You really, really need to test your blood sugar." she placed an arm around his lithe frame and helped him to sit up. She passed him the monitor. Saying nothing, he tried to open the case with shaky fingers. Mom had to do it for him in the end. She cleaned his finger with an alcohol wipe, placed the strip tester into the meter and placed the needle against his finger. I realised she must have read up on it online or something. I winced as the needle clicked, piercing his skin, but Kyle himself didn't bat an eyelid.
We waited for the reading in uncomfortable silence. It was only supposed to take about ten seconds, but as far as I was concerned it was more like ten minutes. I knew it was going to be low. I'd read up on it online after I'd nearly lost him, after he had needed the transplant.
I hadn't expected it to be that low.
"C'mon honey, let's go get you something to eat." Mom put an arm around him.
As far as I'd known, Kyle hadn't cried since they took Ike away.
Even at his parent's funeral he'd kept a stony expression on his face throughout the whole affair.
But now, in the comfort of mom's arms, he burst into tears, and buried himself into her embrace.
Kyle
It hit me. Right then, it hit me. My mom wasn't coming back, not even if I starved myself. I thought that maybe she'd come to see me in my sleep, to tell me to stop being so stupid and to eat something, but she didn't.
She didn't.
She didn't.
Okay, sorry for the short chapter :( I was trying to make it a bit longer than I usually do, but I suck at doing short chapters. In fact, I just suck. Oh well.
Drop me a review? I'd appreciate it. Thanks for reading!