Autumn Leaves

Chapter Two- Nightmare

CASSIE

Now that I thought about that horrible text from Autumn, the words finally made sense to me. I had never realized she actually had cancer, I thought when she just had a fever, or when she would occasionally get dizzy, and even sometimes when she would even become weak and tired, that she just had a cold or something. How stupid was I to think that she just had a cold and was fine, when this whole time she had cancer?

When I finally got home that afternoon my mom knew what had happened to Autumn. I really just didn't want to talk about it. So I went into my room and just laid there, trying to control my thoughts. But after a few hours I realized that the Fall Dance was tonight!

There was really no point in going. I wouldn't have a good time anyways. Friends stick together, and I would not want to go to our first dance without Autumn. There would be no one to talk to, or just to simply have fun with. So I stayed home that night.

Instead of going to the dance I decided to text Autumn. I really didn't want her to feel even more sad than she already was, but I needed to know what was going on.

So I asked her what type of cancer she had, which she said was leukemia. It was heartbreaking to think that my wonderful best friend was diagnosed with leukemia. Out of all the people in the world, she had to get it. It didn't make sense.

She then told me that she had to get chemotherapy soon to kill her cells that were growing to quickly. It was very sorrowful to think about Autumn having to get chemotherapy but, this would help her get better. I hoped.

After a while of talking she said she finally had to go, and I knew it was best to let her rest. I tried not to worry about her but the worries were uncontrollable. Everything would be different now.

I was dreading going to school the next day but I guess I'd have to. I would have to get used to being lonely. I wondered what Autumn would've done if I was diagnosed with cancer, would she make the same choices I made?

I checked my Instagram to see what other people were doing at the dance. I scrolled through dozens of pictures. Everyone was smiling, having a good time. But didn't they know what was happening to Autumn? Did they even care?

To take all the stress away I decided to go to bed. I had the worst dream that night. I was in an ambulance, the siren screeching like crazy. I couldn't focus. No one was in the ambulance except for me, I was driving the ambulance. All I heard was "help me" or even just screams. I kept telling them I was coming to help them but as soon as I got there to get them they disappeared. I saw one girl screaming with curly red hair so I went to get her and when I touched her and turned her around, I realized who it was. It was Autumn. But before I could save her from her pain, she disappeared.

When I woke up that morning to what sounded like a siren, but was actually just my loud, beeping alarm clock, I was terrified. I didn't know what that dream meant. I didn't understand. The painful screams and sirens kept echoing through my head and I just thought about Autumn and those poor people who needed help but I couldn't help them.

I knew that day that nothing would ever be the same again.