Some TFIOS scenes through Gus' eyes

When Hazel and Gus meet

I only have a few minutes left before I have to go pick up my friend Isaac for support group. He asked me to go with him today to this cancer support group thing for 'moral support'. I just think he wants someone to hang out with and make fun of it afterwards.

When I finish tying my shoes I head to the front door, yell goodbye to my parents and drive over to Isaac's house.

Once I get to his house I honk a few times before he comes out. When he gets in the car he slams the door shut, looks at me with his huge glass eye and says, with annoyance in his voice, "if you're in such a rush you should have just called me before you got here and had me jump into the moving car."

"I thought about it but decided I shouldn't be so pushy" I answered with a sly smile. And we drove of to support group.

We got there a little early so the room was pretty empty. We took a seat and watched the rest of the teenagers walk in.

Suddenly I see a beautiful girl maybe a year younger than me walk in. She is carrying an oxygen tank so I realize she must have lung cancer or something. She looks a little familiar but I can't figure out who she looks like or where I might of seen her. So I just stare. She looks back at me a few times.

She ends up sitting next to Isaac, two seats away from me. Patrick starts talking but I don't pay attention because I'm trying to figure out who this girl is.

Then, when she stares back at me, I see it. She looks a little like my late ex-girlfriend Caroline Mathers. I pushed thoughts of Caroline away, smiled at her and looked away. When I looked back at her a few seconds later she flicked her eyebrow at me and I, not knowing why exactly she did that, just shrugged and began listening to Patrick.

He said it was time for introductions. Isaac was the first to introduce himself. He mentioned his conditions and his surgery and all the people supporting him. Then Patrick said this phrase I have a feeling he says a lot here. "we're here for you Isaac" and then we are all saying it. "We're here for you Isaac".

Seven people spoke before it was my turn. "My name is Augustus Waters" I began. And then I mentioned my past experience with osteorsarcoma and how I'm here on Isaac's request. "and how are you feeling?" asked Patrick. "Oh, I'm grand" I answered. "I'm on a roller coaster that only goes up my friend."

And then it was her turn. She said her name was Hazel. Hazel. She said she has Thyroid cancer with mets in her lungs. A long time passed since me or Hazel spoke. My silence was finally brocken when Patrick asked me about my fears. "My fears?" I asked.

"Yes" answered Patrick. And then I told them about how I fear oblivion. Me and Isaac started making jokes before Patrick snapped us back into focus. When I was finished Hazel raised her hand and started talking about how oblivion is inevitable. About how someday we will all be forgotten.

After she was finished all I could say was "dang, you're something else" with a big smile on my face. I want to know her better. But we were both quiet for the rest of support group. Patrick ended the session with a prayer. At the end of the prayer was a list of all the diseased teenagers.

He read the names from a sheet of paper because it was too long to memorize. That's how long it was. That's how many people have died of cancer or some other fatal disease.

After it was over I rushed over to Hazel and asked for her name. "Hazel" she answered.

"No, your full name". She said it was Hazel Grace Lancaster. Before I could say anything else Isaac walked up to us. I raised a finger at Hazel, said "hold on" and turned to Isaac and told him how this was worst than he told me it would be and asked him why he bothered with it.

He said it helped. Well, if he says so. Then I leaned in so Hazel wouldn't hear my question. "She's a regular?" Isaac told me she didn't come here that much. I took half a step away from him and told Isaac to tell Hazel about clinic. Isaac told Hazel his story about his conversation with his surgeon. she answered "he sounds like a winner I'm going to try to get me some eye cancer just so I can make this guys acquaintance"