You Love Those Lies

Jack is dying. Cancer. He looks at himself in the mirror and runs a bony; frail hand through his ever thinning hair. Only pieces of his blonde curls are left on his scalp. He's emaciated; sunken cheeks and dark circles beneath his grey eyes.

"How are you today, Jack?" Tyler, one of his closet friends, sits beside him and smiles.

"I'm alright." Jack has a sudden coughing fit and Tyler puts a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay." Jack looks beyond depressed and it pains Tyler. He remembers when his grandmother had cancer.

"You'll get there, you're strong." Jack smiles and yawns.

"I'm tired. I should go lay down." Tyler nods and helps Jack into his room and into his bed.

"Sleep tight." Jack can only shake his head, so Tyler walks into the living room. He figures that he'll stick around in case Jack needs something once he wakes. With a sigh, Tyler sits back down onto the couch and fiddles with his fingers. "Christ, why Jack?" He shakes his head and tries to make the thoughts of Jack dying disappear. To clear his mind, Tyler stretches his legs and goes into the kitchen for a glass of water. There's a few dishes in the sink and some magazines spread across the table. Smiling, he loads the dishwasher and fixes the magazines into a neat pile. It's the least he can do.

After putting things into place, he notices a business card from the center where Jack has been receiving chemo. Curiously, he picks up the phone and dials the number. He feels as though Jack hasn't been telling him an their friends everything about the chemo therapy and worries he may be even more sick then he's letting on.

"Hello, thank you for calling Chemo Center, how can I help you?" A woman's voice says pleasantly.

"Hi, I'm calling about a friend, Jack Masso. I'm Tyler Ross, I should be listed as one of his emergency contacts."

"One moment please." Elevator like music comes on and Tyler waits patiently for the woman to get back to him. "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't see a Jack Masso listed in our databases." Tyler furrows his eyebrows.

"What do you mean?"

"He hasn't been receiving chemo from here, perhaps this is the wrong number."

"Yeah, that must be it, uhm thanks." Tyler hangs up and puts his phone away. "Why keep the card, if you aren't going there?" He mutters to himself. He shakes his head and picks up Jack's laptop and begins to search for other treatment centers in the area. Tyler finds a place that's not too far and calls that number. However, he gets the same unnerving answer. No one knows who Jack is.

"What is happening?" Is all he can say. Looking back at the computer, he sees that all the other treatment areas are miles and miles away. Jack wouldn't be going that far out of his way. Curiously, he looks in the recent searches folder and scrolls past what he just looked up. The next three searches are 'cancer signs and symptoms', 'types of cancer', and 'chemo effects'. It all seems normal, but why look that up, but not look up treatment centers? Something is wrong and Tyler stands and begins to snoop. After lifting up a few books and papers, he finds a small black book on the coffee table. He flips through a few pages and stops at one spot in particular. His name is mentioned and his eyes widen as he reads.

'I shaved some of my hair of today,' It begins in Jack's tiny writing. 'Tyler showed up and he was so concerned about my 'chemo', and it was perfect to feel loved.'

"What are you doing?" The book falls out of Tyler's hands when he hears Jack's voice behind him.

"I-I-you?" He stutters. "You're faking it? You've lied about having cancer even after you know what happened with my grandmother?" He points an accusing finger. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Jack glares.

"I am sick! I really am, Tyler. I have cancer!"

"I read your little diary, I know you've lied. What else are you lying about?" Tyler looks Jack in the eye and seems to notice something. Tyler approaches Jack swiftly and swipes a thumb under Jack's eye. "You're wearing makeup!' Tyler nearly chokes. "All this time, I think you're sick and you're wearing makeup to make yourself look ill?" He shouts. "This is fucked! You just wanted attention!? What's wrong with you?" Suddenly, Jack lashes out at Tyler and he's clearly stronger than he appears. "I'm letting our friends know, they shouldn't be put through this hell!"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Jack screams. "I am sick, I am sick!"

"Yeah, with Munchhausen syndrome or whatever the fuck! Just stop, I'm out of here." Tyler turns and heads for the door; confusion and anger etched across his face. His face turns to one of terror when Jack hits him on the back of the head and he falls to the floor; scrambling backward. "Jesus, Jack!" With almost a disturbing amount of strength, Jack is on top of Tyler with his hands around his throat. Tyler struggles, but that only enrages Jack and he slams Tyler's head against the floor until the struggling ceases. Jack is breathing hard and shaking when he stands and stares down at his friend. Tyler isn't moving or breathing and a pool of blood is forming around his head.

"Tyler." Jack whispers. "No, Tyler wake up! You can't be dead. No one will listen to me! No one will listen to me now!"

After a few moments, he calms down. "They'll really know I'm sick...homicide and suicide. Suicide is more shocking and sick..." He rambles as he walks to his room. He opens his closet door and pulls out a belt. "They'll have to pay attention now, cancer stricken and then committed suicide." Anyone could tell by the look in his eyes that he'd clearly lost it. All these years of people taking care of him for sicknesses that didn't exist and Tyler was going to ruin that. Jack had to kill him, it was the only reasonable choice, at least in his mind. "Keep them wondering how they could have saved me." He says and secures the belt around his neck and then moves a chair into the closet. He stands up on the chair and ties the other end of the belt in the closet. Then, with a sick smile, he drops.