Reno and Weisz

chapter 22: reno promises to be there for weisz

just in case you couldn't tell, i changed the title to reno and weisz because i wasn't liking drive by anymore lol.

chapter 22: reno promises to be there for weisz

~reno~

       I'm starting to hate school a lot, which says something because I already hate school. It got a bit more tolerable with Weisz here, but he's not here today, which somehow makes me even a bigger target for Neil to torment. Every single time I'm in the hallway, Neil feels he either has to tell me to break up with Weisz or attempt to trip me in the hallway.

       I try my best to ignore Neil, but he is very persistent. Part of me wants to turn the tables on him, but I decide it will be best to just ignore him. Neil will probably turn things around and make himself look like the victim if I treat him the way he treats me.

       I keep telling myself I only have to make it through grade eleven, and then grade twelve, and I'll likely never see him again. But then I remember that it's still five times a week so I'm probably not going to be patient enough.

       When school ends, I get into my car to go home. Before I start up the car, I send a text to Weisz to see how he's doing. He stayed home from school because he felt too sick. He has a doctor's appointment anyway, so we'll see how he's doing.

       By the time I get home, he hasn't responded. He hasn't seen the text yet, so he's probably too busy to respond. Or he's napping. I tend to nap a lot and miss a lot of texts.

       I want to go take a nap when I pull into the driveway once I see a familiar car parked there. I sigh and turn off my car. Great. An unexpected visit. I hate these more than I hate school. The visits turn into them expected everything they find wrong with me.

       It's amazing I still have a relationship with them.

       I walk into the house, prepared for the subtle insults that are going to come my way. My mom's parents, Judy and Bernard, sit on the couch as Dad hand them a cup of coffee. The moment they notice I walk in, Judy sighs. "I see you still have those ridiculous piercings," she says.

      "I do," I say. "Plus, I got another one since the last time you saw me." I point to my septum piercing. "Like it?"

       "I'd like it more if you take it out," Judy says.

       "I can't," I say. "I got it recently and it's recommended that I don't take it out until it's fully healed. Sorry to disappoint."

       Bernard shakes his head. "You shouldn't have gotten it in the first place."

       Whenever they come to visit, I just want to cut off all communications with them. But I don't. Because I'm their daughter's son. Their only daughter's son. I know it must have been hard for them to lose their daughter, so they want a connection with her son.

       It would just be a lot better if they didn't judge me for every little thing I did. They threw a fit when I first dyed my hair. They scoffed at my tattoo, even though I got it to remember my mom. They roll their eyes at every piercing I get.

       I've never discussed my sexuality with them, so I can only imagine how they'll react if I tell them I have a boyfriend. I kind of want to tell them to start something, if I'm being honest. I guess I like being an instigator at times. My bad.

       "Well, I think Reno looks great with his piercings," Dad says. "He's happy with them."

       "Of course you would think that," Judy says. "Look at all of your tattoos."

       Oh, how I hate these visits. The worst part is they used to love Dad before Mom passed away. I'm sure they still love him, but they're focusing their anger on the wrong thing. They need to focus it on something, and it sucks that they've chosen Dad, and possibly me.

       Maybe they'll realize that it's not Dad's fault Mom passed away, but it also has been sixteen years. If it has taken them this long and they haven't yet figured it out, I don't know if they ever will.

       The visit feels like it's hours long, but it's only an hour, thankfully. The moment my grandparents leave, after promising to visit again, I sit back on the couch with a heavy sigh. "They drain so much out of me," I say.

       "Me too," Dad says. "You know, you don't have to visit with them if you don't want to."

       "I know," I say. "But I feel like they need it. They'll stop being so judgmental soon. I hope."

       "You and me both." Dad stands up. "I'm going to get started on dinner." He heads to the kitchen. 

       I relax on the couch, not feeling like going all the way upstairs to my bed, no matter how comfortable it is. At least the couch is comfy. Not as comfy as my bed, but still comfy. 

       I lounge around for a few moments before my cell phone rings. I grab it, see that Weisz is calling. I answer the phone, holding it up to my ear. "Hey, how's everything going?"

       "Uh..." Weisz says in a quiet voice, and I swear I hear his voice crack a bit. "It's not..." He takes a deep breath. "I'm not... I'm not okay."

       I sit up. "What's going on?"

       "I'm going to be in the hospital for a few days while they monitor me," Weisz says in a quiet voice. "Last year, I was diagnosed with leukaemia. I beat it a few months ago, right before summer."

       "What?" I ask. "Weisz, why didn't you tell me?"

       "Because I was hoping it would stay in the past. That I'd never have to think about it except for during my check-ups, but, uh... It might be back. That's why I've been sick and having those constant nose bleeds. I'm waiting for the results but I'm scared, Reno. I'm scared. I don't want to go through this again. Can you... Can you come to the hospital?"

       I stand up from the couch. "Yes, of course. I'll head over there now."

       "Thank you," Weisz says before he hangs up. 

       I walk to the kitchen where Dad's cooking on dinner. "Dad, I have to go to the hospital. Weisz is there."

       Dad looks at me with concern. "Is he okay?"

       "He's waiting for the results," I say. "But he might have leukaemia."

       "Oh. Oh, wow. Yeah, go to the hospital. I'll set aside some dinner for you when you get back."

       Weisz texts me both the address and his hospital room, and it takes me a bit of time to get there since it is in the city. Part of me wishes I got my dad to drive me to the hospital because I can barely focus. I'm just thinking about Weisz the whole time, wondering if he's okay.

       I finally get to the hospital and find Weisz's room. He's sitting on his bed, looking at his phone. When he sees me, I can see the tears in his eyes. I hurry over to his side, giving him a hug. He hugs me back tightly. "You're going to be okay," I say.

       "You don't know that," Weisz says.

       I pull away from him, wiping his tears away. "True, but you beat it once. You can beat it again, but that's only if it's back. There's a chance it's not."

       "But there's a chance it is," Weisz says. "I really don't want to go through this again, Reno."

       "Well, whatever the results are, I'll be by your side," I say. "Anything you need. I'll come with you during you treatments, your check-ups, anything you want."

       Weisz nods, the tears coming back. He places his hand on my cheek. "I love you, Reno."

       "I love you, too," I say. Weisz smiles weakly at me before he presses his lips on mine.

_____________________

i say we should push neil down the stairs.

i mean what?

but yeah, we'll see what the results are for weisz next chapter.