Not Too Late

VI

     Have you ever felt like you were falling while in a dream? Do you know how much your heart beats when that happens? Do you remember how scary it is for those seconds that you don't know whats happening?

     That's how I felt when I received the call. That stupid call. The one call that ruined my life. And it all began with a person hitting the wrong contact name in their contacts.

     Let's start from the beginning.

                                ---2 hours earlier--

     We were walking back from the Joey Graceffa q&a panel, Belle and James discussing who would win in a sass battle, Joey Graceffa or Tyler Oakley, McKenna checking out guys while Lacey vlogged everything, and lastly, me, trailing behind, taking all of VidCon in.

     I heard my phone start to vibrate, so I dug though my tote bag and pulled it out. Belle's mom was calling me, probably to check up on us, so I picked up.

     "Hello?" I answered.

     "BELLE! Honey! Its mom, and I have some bad news," she said, I could hear the worry in her voice. She probably hit the wrong name in her contacts, so I started to protest.

     "No, I-" I started to say, but she kept talking.

     "Sweetie, I know, you're at VidCon with your friends, and you don't want to deal with it now, but its urgent," she said, and my heart started to speed up with alarm.

     "You pressed on the wrong-" I started to say again, but she talked over me.

     "I just came home from the doctors, your cerebral tests came back." Belle had fallen off her penny a little while back while we were skating around the neighborhood and hit her head. She went to the doctors and had a few tests done on the injury. She seemed fine, so I had assumed nothing was wrong. Until now.

     She kept going, "I don't know how to word this, but, there was something wrong, honey," she started to cry, "unfortunately, you have a brain tumor. Its always been there, the fall made it activate or something, I wasn't paying attention. Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry!"

     I freeze. Everyone looks back at me, confused.

     Oh no, I thought, I don't want to make a scene, especially in front of our friends.

     "I...um...left something at the signing hall," I lie.

     "Oh okay, I'll run back with you and grab it," Lacey says, but I refuse.

     "I don't want to cause you any trouble. I can go get it and meet you at Hannah Hart's interview," I say, and everyone nods. I just need to be alone.

     I start to walk normally towards the signing hall, but once I'm out of their view, I sprint. I don't know where I'm going, but I just need to run. Running always made me feel better. I ran past the food tucks, past the crowds, the panels, and found a little area behind a wall, where nobody was. I sat down against the wall and cried my eyes out.

     I couldn't take it. I hated the idea of death. It was a terrible thing, and I hated it even more know that it got my friend.

     I don't know how long I stayed there, maybe an hour or so, but after a while, somebody came up to me. I didn't know who it was, I didn't care. I wanted to be alone. The stranger put their hand on my shoulder, which was the last straw right then, and I lost it.

     "Don't people understand when its not a good time to come up to someone? Leave me alone," I manage to get out between sobs.

     "Damn, I'm sorry, but I cant leave you here alone. You just look so sad," a familiar voice says. I look up, and to my surprise, I see Jc standing above me. I sniff, rub my eyes, and apologize.

     "Sorry, I'm just having a rough time right now." I say to him, and he nods.

     "Can I sit?" He asks, pointing at the space next to me. I nod, and he sits next to me. We sit there awkwardly for a few seconds, then he wraps his arm around me, and I put my head in the crook of his neck. I close my eyes and take in his scent, a nice ocean breeze with a hint of five guys burgers.

     "Lexi?" He asks.

     "Hm?"

     "Why are you so sad?"

     I hesitate. Do I trust him? Yes. I really need someone to talk to, and he's right here. I decide to open up. I tell him everything, and while I speak, he watches me carefully, acknowledging every word and nodding along.

When I finish, he takes a deep breath in, and pulls his arm off of me. He gets up, and extends a hand to help me up. He turns to look at me, puts both hands on my shoulders, and looks me in the eye.

     "I know things are tough right now. Trust me, life is full of shitty twists and turns, but you just have to ride it out. You will get through this, I will help you. Do you trust me?"

     I look up and meet his eyes, a beautiful hazel, and I reply, "Jc Caylen, I trust you with all my heart."

     He smiles widely, "There's, uh, something I've been wanting to do since I met you, but you have to promise to not let this change anything between us," he says cautiously, blushing a lot. I nod.

     Time seemed to slow down. He glances at my lips, and bites his. He leans in, and I follow his lead, until there is no space between us. Our lips collide, and for a couple seconds, everything is right with the world, our lips moving in sync with one another. After a while, he pulls away, smirks, and takes my hand.

     "I'll walk you back to your friends," he says, pecking my cheek. I blush, and walk with him. And then I realize.

     I think I'm falling in love with Jc Caylen.