Beautiful

“Miss Richards, the tumor has nearly doubled in size. If we’re going to operate, we have to do it soon. Luckily, we have Cyberknife here at this hospital, so you won’t have to travel, but there are risks. I need you to make an appointment and bring your current guardian to discuss and set a date for the operation. That is… if you want the operation?”
“Yes, I want the operation.”
“Well then, I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“Bye.”
_______________________________________________________________________

“I am SO stoked, man!”
“Shut up, Tre,” Billie said, “that’s the fourth time you’ve said that in the past two minutes.”
Tre jumped around Billie’s basement four times before yelling, “ORANGE MOCHA FRAPUCINNO!!!” at the top of his lungs.
“Did you give him coffee?” mike asked.
“No,” Billie replied, “I hid all the caffeine before you guys got here.”
Mike laughed, “Well I guess he’s just psyched.”
“Billie?” Adrienne’s voice floated in from the stairs, “your guests are here.” She said as she appeared in the doorway.
“YES!” Tre screamed as Mr. P and a select number of his students walked in.
“Jeez, that’s a big entourage.” Mike chuckled.
Mr. P smiled, you told me to bring everyone involved in the writing process. I, myself, am the director. Josh, here, is my assistant. Chris is captain of the drumline. Blake is our snare rep. Caleb is our bass rep. Blane and Derek are both captains of pit percussion and our two main composers. The rest of them said that they could care less how or what we write as long as we have something to play.”
Billie laughed, “Well let’s get started, then.”

---o---
“I can’t believe you cut it.”
Blane laughed at Blake’s still shocked face as they walked down the hall to her hotel room. Her once, very long black hair, was now shoulder length.
“It’s not THAT bad, is it?”
Oh no,” Blake reassured her, “I looks great. It just takes some getting used to, 'cause it’s so drastic.”
She smiled. “This is my room.”
He sighed as she fumbled with the key. He stopped her, “Blane…”
“What?” she asked, slightly annoyed, “ah ha!” she rejoiced as she got the door to open.
“Blane, what’s going on?” he asked as he followed her into the room, leaving the door open.
“What do you mean?” she asked, not making eye contact with him, she looked around the room. It was nice… and big, for just one person, “is your room this big?” she asked him, trying to change the subject.
“Don’t play dumb, Blane, you’ve been hiding something from me for a long time and it’s starting to really bother me.”
Blane sighed, holding back tears, “you better sit down.” She said, closing the door, “this may take a while.”

---o---
There was a knock on the door. Neither of them got up to answer. There was a clatter of plastic hotel keys, and Mr. P opened the door.
“hey you guys, lights out in five so… is everything ok?” he added when he saw the tears on Blane’s face and Blake sitting there, as pale as ever.
Blane wiped her eyes, “yeah, just give us a minute.”
Mr. P smiled one of his priceless smiles with an, it’s gonna be ok, twist, and said, “Sure, I’ll come back in a few.” And he closed the door.

“When’s the operation?” Blake asked her.
“We haven’t set a date. Kacie and I have an appointment next week.”
“I wanna be there.” He said, still not looking up from the table.
“At the appointment?”
“For everything,” he said, looking into her eyes, “all the way.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Definitely.” He said as he got up from the table and pulled her into a hug.

They stood like that for what seemed like forever, her head on his shoulder, and his arms wrapped tightly around her. Neither of them wanted to let go.

---o---
Billie sat in his basement, notebook in hand, his guitar in his lap. They had finished their second day of work in the studio, and so far, they didn’t have much. He was getting frustrated with some of the verse in his song. It just didn’t seem to fit.
“Billie?” came Adrienne’s voice, “you have a visitor.”
Billie looked up to see Blane enter. She smiled weakly.
“I forgot my notebook.” She explained, crossing the room.
Billie nodded as he pulled out a cigarette.
“You shouldn’t do that.”
“What, smoke?” he asked. The unlit cigarette hanging from his lips as he searched his pockets for a lighter.
She nodded. Billie scoffed, “why? Cause I’ll get cancer?”
She looked down at her shoes, “ya know, that’s exactly what my dad used to say.”
“Your mom make him quit?” Billie asked, absentmindedly, still searching for his lighter.
“No,” she looked up at him with sad eyes, “he died. From lung cancer.”
She turned and left without another word.

---o---
There was a knock on Blane’s door, “hold on a sec.” she had just gotten out of the shower. She threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
“Hurry up!” she heard Chris’s anxious voice on the other side of the door. She laughed, “I’m coming!” she said, throwing her hair up into a quick ponytail.
She opened the door to find Chris, Caleb, Derek, Blake, and Josh all standing there. Chris was holding a DVD, and Caleb was holding two bags of microwave popcorn. The two of them were puppy-dog-pouting in a way only they could.
She sighed, “Ok fine.” The guys cheered and filed into the room. She gave Blake a worried look that said, “You didn’t tell them, did you?” he shook his head and kissed her forehead. "Relax," he said, “we just didn’t want to invite you into any of our rooms 'cause they’re all trashed.” She smiled,
“I could only imagine.”
“So when are you guys gonna hook up?” Chris asked, smiling one of his smart ass grins.
Derek hit him, “shut up, stupid.”
Josh just sat down in the chair and smiled. Everybody seemed to be smiling. “So I’m guessing Mr. P’s busy, so you’re supposed to be the chaperone of this shindig?” Blane asked him.
“Yeah,” Caleb laughed, “‘supposed to’ being the operative word in that sentence.
Josh threw a pillow at him.
“So what movie do we have?” Blane asked.
Chris smiled real big as he held up the DVD, “Band Camp.”

Blane sat down on the floor, leaning against the foot of her bed. Blake sat next to her because there wasn’t enough room on the bed. They started the movie.
“Hand check!” Chris yelled, peeking over the edge of the bed. He sat back, disappointed when he found their hands in their own laps.

---o---
Billie still sat in his basement, failing to get anything done.
“Billie?” Adrienne came into the room, “Billie, it’s four in the morning, come to bed.”
“Lung cancer.” He whispered, still staring at the place Blane had stood.
“What?” Adrienne gave him a curious look. "Nothing," he shook his head, shaking the thought from his mind; I’ll be up in a minute.”
“Don’t be long.” She winked at him as she headed for the door. He smiled as he got up to put his guitar away. He followed her up the stairs, throwing his pack of camels away as he went.

---o---
Blane clutched the armrests of her seat. They were about to land at Will Rogers airport in Oklahoma City. Blane hated landings; there was just something about them that made her uneasy. Blake smiled at her and grabbed her hand. She smiled back, wearily.
Within minutes, it was over, and they were safely on the ground. She let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.” She smiled at him. “It’s what I’m here for, he kissed her temple.
They got off the plane and made their way to baggage claim.
“I think people are staring at you, Blake.” Chris said, jokingly.
“Yeah,” Blake mock sighed, “it’s the hair.”
Everybody smiled. ”hey you guys,” Derek said, “we should go laser tagging tonight, ya know, to celebrate our first week’s worth of recording.”
“Our first week of writing.” Mr. P corrected.
“Yeah,” Derek said, continuing, “I know someone who just opened up a new place. It's all state-of-the-art and shit. The guns are like handgun size, and the vests are form fitting, not all clunky, 'cause they make em in different sizes.”
Blane sighed, “Tonight’s not good for me, I have plans, how about next weekend.”
Ah man,” Derek said, “can’t you cancel.”
“No.” Blake said protectively.
“You guys have a date or something?” Caleb asked.
“No, unless you count my doctor as an eligible bachelor. And no, Derek, I can’t really cancel. It’s kind of important. Maybe ill tell you guys about it later.”
Mr. P gave her a curious look, but she didn’t notice.
“Oh my god! You’re not pregnant are you?!” Chris said. Everybody laughed, “No. I’m serious!” he said, insistently.
Blane smiled reassuringly, “no, Chris, don’t get your hopes up.”
Everybody laughed again.
Blane sighed, shakily, as she thought about her “plans” for the night.

---o---
Billie cursed as he shoved another piece of gum in his mouth. He made his way down the street to the restaurant: he was meeting the guys to celebrate nothing in particular. But they wanted an excuse to get together and drink, so they made something up.
“Fucking lung cancer.” He muttered, walking into the building.
“What?” Tre asked, seeing Billie walk in.
“Nothing.” Billie said grumpily as he sat down at the table.
“What’s wrong with you?” Mike asked.
“Nothing.” Billie snapped, “I stopped smoking.”
“You did what?!” Mike nearly yelled. Tre spat his water he had been drinking out all over the table. “You quit?!” Tre asked, barely above a whisper.
“Yeah,” Billie said, shifting in his seat. “That girl, blane, her dad died from lung cancer too.”
“Wow, Billie, that’s great. That you quit, I mean.” Mike blinked at him.
“Yeah,” Billie said faintly, “I was just thinking, ya know, I’m around the same age as my dad when he died and… well I just don’t want to do that to my boys. I just can’t leave them like that.”
“That’s deep.” Tre said.
“How the hell would you know what deep is?” Mike asked as he hit him. “Come on, let’s go”
They got up from the table and headed for the nearest bar.

---o---
Blane sat at the computer again; doing the only thing she knew she could to calm her nerves: reading. She read more of the story she had been reading before. The girl had just announced that she was pregnant. Blane smiled.
Then that word, that word that just didn’t seem to want to go away…
Beautiful.
She felt a lump form in her throat as Blake’s voice came in from the front door, “Blane?” he appeared in the doorway of Kacie’s home office. “Kacie called and said she’d meet us at the hospital. She has to stay late at work.”
She didn’t get up. She hadn’t heard a word he had said.
“Blane?”
No answer.
“Blane!” he said loudly. She jumped, nearly out of the computer chair.
“Blake!” she yelled, “you scared the hell out of me!” she looked around, “where’s Kacie?”
He sighed and rolled his eyes at her, “she has to stay late at work. She’s meeting us there.”
Blane smiled, “ok.” She hopped out of her chair and crossed the room, standing in front of him. She bit her lip. He pulled her into a hug. She felt chills run down her back. Ever since that night they had hugged for so long after she had told him about the tumor, her skin went crazy at any physical contact with him. She couldn’t explain it, but she certainly didn’t want to admit that she was falling in love with him.
She pulled away, “Let’s go.” She said nervously. She hated going to the doctor, but Blake was with her, so it wouldn’t be as bad, sitting in the waiting room and then in the examination room and all.
She smiled at him walking out to his car.
She had to admit, he was a good guy.