Second Chance

Chapter 8

AN: Listen to Poison and Wine by the Civil Wars while reading this. Its amazing :)

I had a new solo this week called "Demons Inside." It's was to the song, "Demons" by Imagine Dragons. It was contemporary, my specialty. I tried to be excited about it, I really did.

It just wasn't coming to me like usual.

At the end of my rehearsal, Abby called me over to where she was sitting.

"I have a surprise for you." She told me.

I raised my eyebrows and asked what it was.

"I know the last few weeks have been exceedingly hard for you, and I wanted to do something special."

I grimaced and nodded in agreement.

"Your mom told me that on Tuesday you went with Kenzie to the doctor and they had some bad news."

"Yeah..." I said as my throat started to close up and tears formed.

The doctors had given Kenzie a two month maximum living time. The medicines just weren't working and the cancer was spreading so quickly, nothing and no one could keep up.

We had all cried and cried, except for one person. Mackenzie. Later that night as we lay in her bed (we slept in hers instead of mine because she had to hook up to special machines every night) she whispered to me something I never wanted to hear. She told me, "Maddie, I'm ready to go. I don't like living like this."

More and more of her hair was falling out and she slept all day. The rare time she was awake, she was snippy and emotional. She had mood swings like never before and it seemed the only person she would ever be even slightly nice to was, thankfully me.

"And as a present to everyone really, but mostly you, I talked to her doctors personally and they said sometime soon Kenzie could come to dance for the day. Just to hang out, and if she could, maybe do a few moves. We're just gonna do it whenever she feels up to it.

"Ms. Abby, that sounds- that sounds great," I choked out. I didn't want to cry again, especially in front of Abby.

I started to turn around, and leave the room before the waterworks really began, but Abby stopped me.

"Wait, come back."

I squeezed my eyes shut and slowly turned around.

"Yeah?" I croaked.

"Madison, if you ever need to get away from everything at home or if you just need to talk to someone who cares and understands, I'm here."

I softly nod and close my eyes as a few tears slip out.

"It's just, it's really really hard. Watching her go through all this."

Abby's face crumpled as I continued on.

"And it hurts so much more, knowing that I can't really do anything to help except bring her medicine at the right time and help her to the bathroom and give her blankets and stuff."

More and more tears pour out of my eyes and I watch some leak from Abby's as well.

"And the worst part is that she's my little sister, and I never realized what I had until a month ago when we found out about this devil inside of her."

I pick up a hand held CD player sitting on a table off to the side and fidget with it.

"I unders-" Abby says, but I continue on.

"Nobody understands, because nobody has had to watch their little sister go through this horrible thing."

My movements with the CD player become more tense and violent and I start slamming into my hands.

"And to make it worse, I have to sit idly by while she DIES because she's DYING, Ms. Abby. And then everyday, I leave her to come HERE. This place she loved, she loved it so much."

The sobs are uncontrollable now. I can't stop, and I know if I don't I will have an Asthma Attack.

Abby sits there silently with tears streaming down her face. She just lets me rant while I pace in front of her, crying and throwing the CD player between my hands.

"I would take her place, Ms. Abby. In a heartbeat. Cause, cause, she never got to win all those titles I had, or do what I got the wonderful chance to do. And that's all I want for her, just some more time."

"You poor child," Abby whispers. I look away. I know the moms are probably watching us, wondering why on Earth I'm down here for so long. But, that doesn't matter.

"It's not me, it's Kenz." I pause and stare at the floor before a new surge of anger flows through me and I start pacing even faster this time.

"I can't lose her, Abby. I can't. Because I made her a promise that I wouldn't let anything happen to her and now I'm breaking that promise to her."

I'm silent for a bit, just pacing back and forth across the room before speaking once again.

"Last night, we lay in bed together cause we sleep together now, and she whispered to me while I was crying into her shoulder thinking she was sleeping, she whispered to me, 'Maddie, I'm ready to go. I don't like living like this.' It killed me. It really, really, REALLY did!"

So much anger builds inside me and my muscles all tense up at once.

"I hate this!" I scream.

"I hate it, I hate it, I HATE IT!" I hurl the CD player at the mirror across the room and start to run out, but someone pulls me back.

"C'mere," Abby whispers. She envelopes me in a huge bear hug and holds me tight.

"Maybe, just maybe, you have it worse than Kenzie. Did you think of that? Just know, I understand, baby. I understand."

I collapse in her arms and begin to cry so hard I can't breathe.

"Can... I... Go... Home?" I whisper.

"Yeah. Rehearsal's over for today."

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So I don't usually write AN, but I felt like today called for one for some reason.

I'm Sam, by the way! Y'all are giving me pretty good feedback, so thank you for that :)

I felt like this was a really, really intense chapter. What do y'all think? Did you like it?

Pleaseeeee VOTE/COMMENT/FAN! I would love to hear your opinions and theories about what's gonna happen.

Okay, I love you all. Bye!!!