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Part 1

THREE YEARS AGO

I woke up feeling... Exactly the same. Wasn't I supposed to feel, I don't know, different on my sixteenth birthday? Older, maybe?

But I didn't.

It was just another day.

The only thing that had changed since yesterday was the date on the calendar, and the fact that I could now carry a stupid piece of plastic around that allowed me to legally drive.

I got dressed and ran downstairs, not wanting to miss the bus for school.
Because only really cool people took the bus to school on the day of their sixteenth birthday...

When I got to the kitchen, my mom and dad were sitting at the table. My dad was holding my mom's hand in his, watching intently as he traced the lines of her palm with his fingertip.

"Morning." I said, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

Something wasn't right.

"Good morning baby." My mom smiled, holding tightly onto my father's hand.
"What's up?" I asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

"We have something to tell you." She said, looking over at my dad. That's when I noticed that he had started to cry, and then I knew that it was really bad.

"Mom?" I asked, needing her to explain what was going on.

"Emma, do you remember when I went to get a mammogram two weeks ago?" She asked, and my heart sank.

"Mom..." I said again, my face feeling hot as I tried to fight off the tears.

"Well, they found something. They sent me to have a scan right away so we could get started. But I don't want you to worry. It's early on and they said I have really good chances of beating this." She said, still not having said exactly what it was she had to beat in the first place.

"Beat what, mom?" I whispered, quickly catching a tear as it spilled down my cheek.

"Emma." She whispered, her eyes glassy with tears now.

"Beat what?" I asked, louder this time.

"Breast cancer, Emma." She whispered, reaching for my hand. "But please don't worry, your father and I are going to my first chemotherapy treatment in an hour. Please don't-"

"I-I have to go." I stammered, stealing my hand away and standing up, nearly knocking my chair over as I headed for the door. "Emma, please wait." She asked, standing up and chasing after me. I threw open the door and she grabbed my arm, stopping me just before I could leave the house.

"Emma I'm so sorry." She said, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"Happy birthday, baby." She whispered, kissing my forehead.

"I don't want to miss the bus." I said, stepping away from her. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would jump right out of my chest. I shook her off and ran down the street, the cold morning air stinging my cheeks as I finally let my tears fall freely.

Mom had cancer.

PRESENT DAY

"Happy nineteenth!!!" My mom squealed, stepping into my bed and cuddling under the covers with me.

"Thanks mom." I yawned, shoving her away from me when she started kissing all over my face.

"Mom." I groaned, hiding under my pillow.

"Emma, don't you love me?" She teased, poking my stomach.

"It's too early to love you." I grumbled, hugging my knees to my chest and curling into a ball under the covers.