Her Condition
Her Condition
"Today's word is: implosion. Implosion means the act of imploding, bursting inward."
"Like 'my brain is about to experience an implosion if the bell doesn't ring soon'?" The class laughed.
Mrs. Sullivan didn't find it funny. "Jeremy, I'll see you after school."
The bell sounded. Patrick got out of his seat and quickly caught up with Josephine, his best friend and love interest.
"Are you still coming over this weekend?"
"Um, have we done this every weekend since the dinosaurs roamed the earth? Of course I'll be there."
For as long as they could remember, they would always get to together on the weekends and just hang out. The location switched between their houses. This weekend they would be at Patrick's house.
“Sweet deal. I can't wait."
"Me neither. What do you have planned?"
Patrick shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing…yet."
"Ha ha, nice." Patrick and Josephine stopped in front of the door to her next class.
"I'll see you at lunch," Patrick said and they hugged.
"Definitely." He watched her walk into the room and then he walked away.
Josephine watched Patrick as he looked at the ground as he walked away. She knew what he was thinking. She hated herself for making him feel bad. For the longest time that she could remember, he's always had a crush on her. She never wanted to be anything more with him. Well, she did but she refused to be anything more with him because of her condition. He'd end up sad in the end either way and she didn't want that.
Patrick didn't know about her condition. No one knew about her condition. She wanted to live a normal life while she could. She didn't want people's sympathy, especially Patrick's. Most importantly, she didn't want to be known as the girl with cancer.
* * * * *
"Finally!" Patrick exclaimed as Josephine walked up to him.
"Oh shut up! It's not like you were there the whole period."
"No but you still took long enough."
"Whatever. Let's go." Patrick followed her into the cafeteria. They found their table and sat down.
"Hey Josie," Pete greeted her.
"Hey Peter Pan." Pete grinned and winked at her.
"Josephine, come with me," Patrick said getting up.
"Okay." She followed him to the Coke machine. On the way there, some guy bumped into her almost knocking her over.
"Are you okay?" Patrick looked at her with wide eyes.
"Yeah I’m fine," she said holding her arm. Patrick looked at her arm. She had a large red spot. He pulled her arm up and kissed it.
"Now you're even better."
"Thanks," Josephine said and blushed. She pulled her sleeve down and shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans as Patrick bought his pop. They then went back to their table.
"So when are you two gonna start dating already?" Joe asked. Josephine and Patrick just looked at each other and avoided answering his question. They hated it whenever someone brought that up. They've only discussed it once and that one time almost ended their friendship. Patrick was persistent about wanting to know why she wouldn't date him even though she liked him. She simply wasn't ready to tell him the real reason why.
* * * * *
Patrick and Josephine hung out in Patrick's basement that weekend. They were playing ping-pong as Patrick's brother watched and pretended to be the referee. The game was starting to heat up. Josephine pushed her sleeves up.
"Dude, Josie…" Patrick said when he noticed the bruise on her arm from where she got hit a couple days ago. Any bruise would have been gone by now. Josephine looked down and pulled her sleeve down.
"Patrick, I have to go," she said suddenly and made her way upstairs.
"What? Why?"
"I just…I have to go. I'll call you later," she said and kissed his cheek and rushed out the door.
She never called him like she said she would. She wasn't at school the following Monday either…or Tuesday. Worried about her, Patrick called her for the millionth time.
"Jose, are you okay?"
"Patrick, just stop calling me. Leave me alone." She hung up. He noticed she sounded weak, exhausted and like she had been crying. She wanted to be left alone so he left her alone.
At least a month would go by before he would see her again. Through the grapevine, he learned that she dropped out of school and was now being home-schooled. No reason was ever given. There were plenty of rumors: she got pregnant, she was sent to juvie, just crazy things. Patrick decided he was going to find out once and for all. Prom was coming up and he made it his mission to have her accompany him.
* * * * *
Nervously, Patrick knocked on her front door. Her mom answered.
"Patrick, hi. It's nice to see you. I haven't seen you in a while."
"Yeah, I know. I was wondering if Josephine was in."
"She is. She's upstairs in her room. I think she'll be glad to see you." She let Patrick into the house and he went upstairs. He knocked on her door and walked in. He noticed she quickly pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head.
"Patrick, what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you. I haven't seen you in over a month now. I haven't heard from you in over a month now. I think you owe me at least a little bit of an explanation."
"I don't owe you anything. Go home."
"No. I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on."
"It's nothing that concerns you." She turned away from. He grabbed her to turn her back to him. When he did, the hood fell. His mouth fell open as he stared at his best friend who had no hair. She went to put the hood back on but Patrick stopped her.
"What's going on?"
Josephine sighed and stepped away from him. She looked up at him. "Pat, I have cancer. That's why I left school and everything. That's why I left you."
"What does your cancer have to do with you leaving me?"
"I didn't want you to see me like this. With no hair and everything else that comes along with chemo."
"Josie, hair or no hair, I'll love you no matter what. Cancer or no cancer, I'll love you no matter what. There's nothing you can do or have that will make me ever stop loving you. I'm going to love you for forever and you're just gonna have to deal with that. I'm not leaving." Patrick shook his head and sat on her bed. "No ma'am, I'm not going anywhere. We're gonna go through this together whether you want to or not."
"Thanks Patrick…and I'm really sorry. I could really use my best friend right now."
"Well, you know I'm here for you. Hey uh, Josephine?"
"Yeah?"
"I um…I love you," he said and looked her in the eye. "And I don't mean it in a best friend kind of way."
Josephine bit her lower lip. Normally she would have tucked her hair behind her ear but she couldn't so she settled on playing with her sleeves. She sat next to Patrick on her bed. She leaned over and kissed him. "I love you, too, Patrick."
"Like 'my brain is about to experience an implosion if the bell doesn't ring soon'?" The class laughed.
Mrs. Sullivan didn't find it funny. "Jeremy, I'll see you after school."
The bell sounded. Patrick got out of his seat and quickly caught up with Josephine, his best friend and love interest.
"Are you still coming over this weekend?"
"Um, have we done this every weekend since the dinosaurs roamed the earth? Of course I'll be there."
For as long as they could remember, they would always get to together on the weekends and just hang out. The location switched between their houses. This weekend they would be at Patrick's house.
“Sweet deal. I can't wait."
"Me neither. What do you have planned?"
Patrick shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing…yet."
"Ha ha, nice." Patrick and Josephine stopped in front of the door to her next class.
"I'll see you at lunch," Patrick said and they hugged.
"Definitely." He watched her walk into the room and then he walked away.
Josephine watched Patrick as he looked at the ground as he walked away. She knew what he was thinking. She hated herself for making him feel bad. For the longest time that she could remember, he's always had a crush on her. She never wanted to be anything more with him. Well, she did but she refused to be anything more with him because of her condition. He'd end up sad in the end either way and she didn't want that.
Patrick didn't know about her condition. No one knew about her condition. She wanted to live a normal life while she could. She didn't want people's sympathy, especially Patrick's. Most importantly, she didn't want to be known as the girl with cancer.
* * * * *
"Finally!" Patrick exclaimed as Josephine walked up to him.
"Oh shut up! It's not like you were there the whole period."
"No but you still took long enough."
"Whatever. Let's go." Patrick followed her into the cafeteria. They found their table and sat down.
"Hey Josie," Pete greeted her.
"Hey Peter Pan." Pete grinned and winked at her.
"Josephine, come with me," Patrick said getting up.
"Okay." She followed him to the Coke machine. On the way there, some guy bumped into her almost knocking her over.
"Are you okay?" Patrick looked at her with wide eyes.
"Yeah I’m fine," she said holding her arm. Patrick looked at her arm. She had a large red spot. He pulled her arm up and kissed it.
"Now you're even better."
"Thanks," Josephine said and blushed. She pulled her sleeve down and shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans as Patrick bought his pop. They then went back to their table.
"So when are you two gonna start dating already?" Joe asked. Josephine and Patrick just looked at each other and avoided answering his question. They hated it whenever someone brought that up. They've only discussed it once and that one time almost ended their friendship. Patrick was persistent about wanting to know why she wouldn't date him even though she liked him. She simply wasn't ready to tell him the real reason why.
* * * * *
Patrick and Josephine hung out in Patrick's basement that weekend. They were playing ping-pong as Patrick's brother watched and pretended to be the referee. The game was starting to heat up. Josephine pushed her sleeves up.
"Dude, Josie…" Patrick said when he noticed the bruise on her arm from where she got hit a couple days ago. Any bruise would have been gone by now. Josephine looked down and pulled her sleeve down.
"Patrick, I have to go," she said suddenly and made her way upstairs.
"What? Why?"
"I just…I have to go. I'll call you later," she said and kissed his cheek and rushed out the door.
She never called him like she said she would. She wasn't at school the following Monday either…or Tuesday. Worried about her, Patrick called her for the millionth time.
"Jose, are you okay?"
"Patrick, just stop calling me. Leave me alone." She hung up. He noticed she sounded weak, exhausted and like she had been crying. She wanted to be left alone so he left her alone.
At least a month would go by before he would see her again. Through the grapevine, he learned that she dropped out of school and was now being home-schooled. No reason was ever given. There were plenty of rumors: she got pregnant, she was sent to juvie, just crazy things. Patrick decided he was going to find out once and for all. Prom was coming up and he made it his mission to have her accompany him.
* * * * *
Nervously, Patrick knocked on her front door. Her mom answered.
"Patrick, hi. It's nice to see you. I haven't seen you in a while."
"Yeah, I know. I was wondering if Josephine was in."
"She is. She's upstairs in her room. I think she'll be glad to see you." She let Patrick into the house and he went upstairs. He knocked on her door and walked in. He noticed she quickly pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head.
"Patrick, what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you. I haven't seen you in over a month now. I haven't heard from you in over a month now. I think you owe me at least a little bit of an explanation."
"I don't owe you anything. Go home."
"No. I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on."
"It's nothing that concerns you." She turned away from. He grabbed her to turn her back to him. When he did, the hood fell. His mouth fell open as he stared at his best friend who had no hair. She went to put the hood back on but Patrick stopped her.
"What's going on?"
Josephine sighed and stepped away from him. She looked up at him. "Pat, I have cancer. That's why I left school and everything. That's why I left you."
"What does your cancer have to do with you leaving me?"
"I didn't want you to see me like this. With no hair and everything else that comes along with chemo."
"Josie, hair or no hair, I'll love you no matter what. Cancer or no cancer, I'll love you no matter what. There's nothing you can do or have that will make me ever stop loving you. I'm going to love you for forever and you're just gonna have to deal with that. I'm not leaving." Patrick shook his head and sat on her bed. "No ma'am, I'm not going anywhere. We're gonna go through this together whether you want to or not."
"Thanks Patrick…and I'm really sorry. I could really use my best friend right now."
"Well, you know I'm here for you. Hey uh, Josephine?"
"Yeah?"
"I um…I love you," he said and looked her in the eye. "And I don't mean it in a best friend kind of way."
Josephine bit her lower lip. Normally she would have tucked her hair behind her ear but she couldn't so she settled on playing with her sleeves. She sat next to Patrick on her bed. She leaned over and kissed him. "I love you, too, Patrick."