Twenty three

A/N: There is a small fight at this and some people, especially if you are squeamish like me, may find a bit of, well stomach turning.

Oscar was daydreaming. He was in a maths lesson and had got distracted. Tomorrow was the first day of his treatment and he had to miss school.

"Oscar! Oscar, will you pay attention please!" Mr Week shouted. Oscar ignored him. Rick elbowed him. Oscar blinked and looked at Rick. Rick nodded towards the now furious Mr Week. "thank you Oscar. Seeing as you want to waste my time, I'll waste yours. Detention after school tonight."

"oh but sir I can't do tonight," Oscar explained.

"Course you can't," he said sarcastically, "if you are not that you will be in even more trouble than you are currently!"

"no he really can't do tonight sir. Mike is picking him up at 2:30. He can't make it," Rick piped up.

"Rick don't lie," Mr Week said.

"He's not lying," Summer protested. Mr Week turned to her.

"Summer I'm disappointed in you. You're not supposed to lie. You're a Buddhist. In fact I don't think I've ever known you to lie... oh... oh. Ok tomorrow night then Oscar," Mr Week said before turning back to the board.

"Yeah, that's going to happen," Oscar mumbled under his breath. Rick laughed quietly.

"Let's not go there. When you aren't at school tomorrow he will realise you are not going to be in detention," Rick whispered.

"I could do my detention in hospital," Oscar hissed back. Summer smiled at him.

"it will be fine. You'll be fine. Don't you have to stay in tomorrow night as well?" Summer asked. Oscar nodded.

"yeah, my immune system will be down," Oscar said bitterly.

It was lunch and Alana and Oscar were sat on a bench. The final letter in their hands. The words had got meaner and harsher as they had gone back through the years. This one both of them were wary about opening, scared of what they might read. Alana opened it.

Ali, Oscar

You are the pains of life and I wish you had never been born. The good thing about the army. I don't have to see you,

Dad

Alana stared at the harsh words. "What ones are to be believed, theses ones which match his personality or the other ones which show a side we never saw and could just be lies?" Alana asked Oscar. Oscar looked at the letter. He tore it into several pieces and threw it in the bin.

"The final letter he wrote had truth in it about the leukaemia. Whether the rest is true, we will never know," Oscar stated. "So in answer to your question Alana, I don't know." He stood up, stretched and hugged her. He was leaving for the hospital in fifty minutes. Alana hugged him back. "I love you, remember that. I'll see you once I'm better and out of the hospital on Wednesday. Oh and if Mr Week asks where I am, tell him I'm ill. He gave me detention see for tomorrow night," Oscar told her. Alana giggled.

"will do bro. Will do. I love you too," she shouted at him as he went to join his friends. Tee, Tyler and Cassie who had been standing watching this came over to Alana and sat with her.

"it will be fine," Cassie said, holding her friends hand. Alana nodded.

"I know," she said. Just then there were footsteps which stopped directly in front of her. Alana looked up at Molly.

"Aww! Little Ali may lose her brother," Molly said sarcastically and with venom at the same time.

"leave me alone molly," Alana told her.

"What you gonna do about it if I don't. Get your brother on me. Oh no you can't. He's too ill to even lift his school bag, or he will be by tomorrow," Molly carried on teasing. Alana stood up.

"I would not irritate me Molly. I really wouldn't," Alana threatened. Elm tree may have changed her but she was still vicious and violent when she wanted to be.

"Oh what are you going to do? Hit me? Get your friends to hit me?" Molly asked. Alana spotted Jamie edging closer to them from where he had spotted the trouble. Alana raised her eyebrows.

"Do you want to see?" Alana asked, sweetly. Molly looked at the girl and thought about what she could do. She decided that nothing Alana could do would harm her. Molly nodded. "are you sure?" molly nodded again. "ok, you asked for it, remember that." Alana grabbed her earring and ripped it out through the cartilage leaving a gash from where the earring was out the ear. As molly grabbed hold of her ear, it left her stomach clear of obstructions and Alana kicked at it. Molly stumbled backwards expecting more but Alana stopped. She handed the earring, with some attached cartilage, back to Molly. "I could do worse but I won't. Violence is not something you should use." At this Miss King had seen what was happening and came over.

"Alana Sophiena Winters, detention, this evening. You don't beat up fellow students!" Miss king shouted at her. Alana shrugged. Jamie ran over to her.

"Alana was provoked Miss," Jamie said. Miss King looked at him.

"Jamie Bowen I do not care if she was provoked. She attacked a pupil and you watched," miss king told him sternly.

"Throw me in detention for not stopping it then," he said.

"You know what I will, that and for back-chatting a teacher," Miss king told him. "I expect the pair of you to be in detention at 3:30pm." With that she took Molly away and led her to the nurse.

"Alana! That was stupid," Tee told her. "And really mean! You've just ripped her ear."

"I know but I stopped myself. I could have beaten her black and blue like I have Tyler. Be thankful I stopped," Alana stated. At this Tyler nodded in agreement. Alana turned to Jamie. "you didn't have to stick up for me. You're going to miss your cross-country match now."

Jamie shook his head. "No I'm not. Miss Ralph will come and get me from detention, saying I'll do it tomorrow. And I will get you out, permanently."

"How?" Alana asked.

"Just wait and see," Jamie told her.