Like a Skyscraper

“Alice,” Edward all but whispered from the landing of the stairs. Alice nodded and flitted into her brother’s room and took a seat in one of his chairs next to his large collection of CDs.

“Emmett talked to me the other day about Kaelyn. They talked and she forgave him for everything and told him she was moving away from graduation next week,” Edward filled her in. Alice bit her lip.

“I’m going to talk to her,” Alice decided.

“About the cancer?” Edward asked, confused, but it became clear as he read his sister’s mind.

“We have one week of school left, and I still need to get my graduation dress. I’ll invite her to make a day trip to Port Angeles with me, and we can have some one on one girl time. Nothing serious,” Alice explained. Edward still thought that they should tell Emmett about Kaelyn’s limited time, but once again went along with Alice. She could see the future so he was left to blindly trust her like always.

“When will you talk to her?”

“Tomorrow. I’ll see if she wants to drive up there with me after school is over.”

~*~

“Kaelyn!” The blonde turned around and saw Alice waving her down. Being polite, Kaelyn waited for the other girl to reach her.

“What is it, Alice?”

“Have you gotten a graduation dress yet?” Alice grinned. Kaelyn thought for a minute and shook her head no. She was planning on wearing one of her older dresses, but she felt like she should get something new.

“Good! Let’s go to Port Angeles after school!”

“Alice, I don’t think—“

“Please! We’re about to graduate and go far away from each other. Let’s have a girl days out and just have some fun,” Alice persuaded. Fun sounded nice to Kaelyn so she gave in and agreed to meet Alice in the parking lot when their classes were over. Kaelyn sent her mom a text and let her know where she was going and why she would be home later.

That morning Kaelyn had dreaded getting out of bed. She was achy and feeling mopey, but Alice seemed to brighten her day so she decided to make the best of it and enjoy herself. School seemed to go slower than usual, and Kaelyn caught herself looking at the clock multiple times that day.
When the final bell rang, Kaelyn grabbed her stuff and headed towards the parking lot. Alice had beaten her there and was waiting by her car.

“You ready?” She asked with a wide smile.

“All set!” The girls loaded their belongings into Alice car and took off to the city.

~*~

Kaelyn put on a coral colored sundress and spun around for Alice to see.

“What do you think about this one?” Kaelyn asked, and stopped moving feeling out of breath. She tried to cover it up, but Alice noted her difficulty breathing.

“That looks beautiful on you, Kaelyn. I think that one is the winner!” Alice exclaimed, pretending not to notice Kaelyn’s pain. It was becoming more noticeable that she was sick. Kaelyn looked at herself in the full body mirror and grinned.

“I think you’re right. I love this one.”

“Hey Hun, are you okay? You look a little under the weather,” Alice commented, trying to be subtle without coming right out and saying hey, how’s the cancer.

“Yeah, I think I’m a head cold or something. My allergies must be getting to me,” Kaelyn replied a little too quickly. The blonde was actually feeling horrible. Her pain level was a solid 7, and she just wanted to crawl into her bed and sleep it off. But she was with Alice and really did want to have some fun before graduation.

“How about we head to the food court and grab something to snack on after you get your dress?” Alice suggested. Kaelyn nodded and went back into the changing room. Alice focused on what was going to happen in the near future, but everything was fuzzy and she couldn’t make out a clear picture. The wolves must be around.

Alice waited for Kaelyn to pay for her dress and then the two made their way towards the center of the mall where the food was located.

“Hm, I don’t know what I want,” Kaelyn laughed as she looked around. She didn’t have much of an appetite, but she didn’t want to disappoint Alice who went through the trouble to invite her out.

“Kaelyn?” Both girls turned and saw Paul with Jared walking towards them. Kaelyn’s smile was the brightest Alice had ever seen. She met Paul half way and hugged him tightly.

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

“Alice and I were shopping for graduation dresses,” Kaelyn said, motioning towards the brunette, “Do you guys know each other?”

“We’ve met before,” Alice piped with a polite smile.

“So you’re going to get all pretty for me, huh?” Paul joked. Kaelyn tried to playfully shove him, but he was too big to be moved.

“In your dreams. What are y’all doing?”

“Jared wanted to get something for Kim. Their anniversary is coming up so I tagged along for the ride.” Alice watched the two interact and finally got to see how they were around each other in person. They were much closer than she realized, and she wondered how Emmett felt about it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” Paul asked.

“Yeah, are you picking me up still?” Kaelyn questioned.

“You betcha. Bye,” Paul hugged her again and kissed her temple before leaving.

“So are you and Paul an item?” Alice asked once they were alone again. Kaelyn blushed and shook her head no.

“No, he’s my best friend. We talked about having a relationship, but we are better as friends,” Kaelyn explained.

“Because of Emmett?”

“What?” Kaelyn asked, her head whipping around to Alice.

“Do you still care about Emmett? Is that why you didn’t start something with Paul?” Alice asked, wanting to know how she felt about her brother. Kaelyn sighed and ran a hand through her short hair.

“It’s complicated with Emmett. I still feel something towards him, but nothing else will happen between us. He just…” Kaelyn trailed off and shook her head.

“Did you love him?” Alice asked softly. Kaelyn stared at her in the eyes unsure how to answer.

“I don’t know. Things ended too quickly for me to know for sure. I care about him though, even after everything that happened,” Kaelyn finally whispered. Alice sent her a small smile and decided to drop the subject.

“Do you have any shoes that’ll match your dress?” Alice asked, linking their arms together as they continued to walk around the mall.

~*~

That night Kaelyn lay in bed, staring at the ceiling deep in thought. Did she love Emmett? Before she had sex with him, she knew that she cared deeply about him. But was that love? What does it matter for now? They were never going to be together, and she would be in Heaven by the end of the month if Dr. Bensen was right.

Kaelyn rolled over and saw how late it was. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe through the latest round of pain that spread all over her body. Tears prickled her eyes, but she held them in.

Memories of her time with Emmett in Strawberry Bay filled her head, and it brought a smile to her face. Yes, it seems like she does love him after all.