Holding On

Chapter 1| Picked First

Present

You see, the thing about cancer is that you begin to bruise easily. Me, I bruise like a peach. The minor bruises I didn't need to hide, my family just passes it off because of the fact that I bruise way to much. The bigger ones that I get from the kicks of my classmates, those I need to hide. I walked over to my window and looked outside to see my parents having a smoke, I didn't like that they still smoked but I knew it was difficult to stop, they assured me they had cut down but I still see four empty packets at the end of the day.
I walked over to my mirror and adjusted my wig, so far no one had found out and to be honest, I don't think anyone cared enough. I slung my bag over my right shoulder, it's become a habit to do everything with my right side, my left side weakened a little bit, not a lot but enough to make certain task harder than they needed to be. One of the many joys cancer (note the sarcasm). I trotted down stairs where Daniel was seated at the table eating his cereal and well, doing what all little brothers do, making a mess. A shook my head with a smile on my face and grabbed out an apple and took a bite.
"Hey Kennedy!" Daniel chirped, his mouth full of food.
"Ugh! Daniel, chew with your mouth closed!" I laughed and walked over, ruffling his hair.
"Hey! Don't touch the hair, it takes a lot of work in the mornings," He told me with a serious face.
I shook my head and laughed lightly, "See you after school, Dan."
"Bye, Kennedy." Was his quiet reply before I shut the door and muttered my quick goodbyes to my parents and swerved to avoid the smoke before I set out on the same path I've been walking for the past two months. The walk wasn't long in fact it would have been around a ten minute walk at my sluggish pace. I re-adjusted my bag strap and saw the gates of my school coming into view and the yelling and laughing could be heard from where I stood.
As soon as I walked through those gate I received glares and whispering started but I caught onto what they were saying.
"Ugh, she's back."
"I was so happy when I was told she transferred."
"Don't let her touch me, I don't want to catch whatever it is that makes her so, revolting."
I sighed, I'd gotten used to the looks and honestly, it was better than pity, not by much though. I'd say it didn't faze me, all the whispering and insults, but that'd be lying. I always told myself that there are people who have it worse than me, it helps a little but it's depressing to think this is how my last few months will be, bullied. I keep reminding myself that my wish wasn't to make friends, it was to live a normal life and if it would cause people less pain when I'm gone, if they never really got to know me, then that's what'll happen, no one needs to get to know me.
I reached my locker with minimal injuries and put my locker combination in, as soon as I opened the door sheets flew out of my locker, great now they know my locker combination too. I knew I shouldn't be surprised but I had hoped it would happen later in the year and it would give some form of peace for the time being. I turned around, ready to collect my sheets when suddenly I was slammed against one of the neighbouring lockers, the air was knocked right out of me as a frantically tried to regain my breath.
"Wow, Jeremy, I didn't know this is how you take a girls breath away." I laughed lightly as I looked into the green eyes of the guy that has made my last year at school hell. You know what he did? He smiled, it was a twisted smile but a smile nonetheless. I used to think that dimples were cute and then I met Jeremy and he ruined them for me, he had two dimples and whenever he gave me his malicious smirk I saw girls swoon at his so called cute dimples.
"Shut up, Scott. I didn't ask you to talk so don't." He pulled me forward a few inches and I thought I might get lucky he would let me go, but I should have known that wasn't the case when I was roughly pushed back against the locker and once again struggling to catch my breath. It was a gift when my vision went blurry and I didn't have to focus on my tormentor.
"Sir, yes Sir." I said with a pathetic mock salute. I heard him growl at me before he shoved me to the ground and kicked my side, "One day. One day, you'll learn your place Scott." He snapped before walking away with his cheering crowd. I gasp and finally regained my breath to a regular place. Another thing about cancer is that you get tired a lot and after being Jeremy's punching bag this morning I was tired and wanted to rest but I couldn't because I picked school over the hospital and I wasn't about to go back on that choice. The tardy bell rung once again and I sighed, I was left alone in the halls, a reminder of how I'll always be. Alone. I neatly collected all my sheets that now had big shoeprints on them and some were even torn. I stacked them up and placed them in my locker, grabbing my binder before I headed off to class.