Broken Home

XXXIII

Connor

"What?" I cried.

I noticed he cut his hair, and changed his piercing. His hair was now almost all gone, a few bald patches here and there. His blue eyes shimmered as the sunlight bled out the closed blinds, making them look like the ocean, waves crashing like the tears rolling down his cheeks. His face as red as the blood that would drip down Ashton's arms, but why was I thinking about him?

"The tumor is still inside me." He sobbed.

"The chemo didn't work?" My voice wavered.

He nodded, running his hands through his very short hair, gently pulling little tufts of hair out. I covered my mouth with my hands as I let out a sob, closing my bloodshot eyes at the sad sight.

I've lost my Mum, my sister, and my Dad, and I'm on the verge of losing Ashton and Preston now. I can't lose anyone else, or I'll be all alone.

"Connor," His voice was as delicate as a string, a single tug and it would fall apart. "I-I'll miss you when I'm gone."

I was gasping for air at this point.

"Don't say that!" I shouted, wanting to erase the thought from his mind. "You will win this battle. You will have victory over this cancer."

"How are you so sure?! If this tumor doesn't go away, I'm a goner."

"Preston." I cried, covering my face with my hands.

"Don't cry."

How could I? There wasn't any other way to let all the sadness out.

"Conno-" He started coughing.

I jumped up, but he put out his hand to say he was fine. I hesitantly held it as he violently shook with every cough and sobbed loudly with every inhale. Once his coughing fit was finally over, I stared at him blankly as he gulped down a glass of water.

"You hungry, dear?" Ms. Pitchers, Preston's Mum, walked in the living room.

I nodded, my breathing new still crazy from watching him cough so much.

"What happened?" She quickly sat next to Preston, her soft voice comforting me a bit.

I was still holding his hand, which was way bigger than mine. He sat back, breathing heavily.

"Coughing fit." I told Ms. Pitchers.

"You alright, Pres?" She asked Preston, fixing his shirt a bit. "How are you feeling?"

He clutched his chest, groaning loudly like it badly hurt. He started crying, Ms. Pitchers quick to help him.

"Preston?" She asked, watching him slouch down, sliding off the couch. "Preston?!"

He doubled over in pain, still clutching his chest. He looked like he was in terrible pain, just watching him made me want to cry. He jumped up and ran out the room, Ms. Pitchers following him, but she immediately stopped at the door frame. I could hear Preston gagging, still sobbing loudly.

The worst things in life come free to us.

Ashton

They took away my phone. Actually, I threw it at the wall repeatedly until it was just shattered phone pieces, then it cut myself with it, and then they took it away.

Oops.

I need to cut to distract me from the silence. It comes for me, it wants to take over me and kill me. It hurts cutting myself, but it's worth it. It's what keeps me alive, as weird as that sounds.

I need to talk to Connor, I need to ask where she went. She couldn't have gone back home, neither could she have gone back to the apartment. So where did she go?