Extant

Prologue

It's weird to think of how just a few months can go by. Tomorrow is the day that I get to go back.

To my own home.
In my own bed.
With my actual family.

Don't get me wrong, I've met a few cool people in the hospital, and they might as well be family, but it's different. Call it... a second family. Besides the soccer team.

But I guess I can't really be on the team if I can't play soccer right? It's sucks. A lot.

It sucks that I can't score, let alone kick a ball anymore.
It sucks that I can't get out of bed and run down the stairs for breakfast.

Not that I do that anymore, I'm 18. Practically an adult in my eyes. You get what I mean. Sort of. Unless you're also missing a limb then hey, maybe we could make a little club.

Crip Club, full of the coolest people on earth. So cool, we don't even need all of our body parts!

That should totally be a thing at school. But there's a catch. The only person who'd be in that club is me.

There is absolutely no one in the school that is missing any part of their body. Except for maybe a few tonsils and adenoids but again, not the same.

There could possibly be a freshman to join. Then it was be a club with only two people. How fun would that be?

Why am I still thinking about this? Whatever.
Where was I?

Oh yea. Cancer fucking sucks. That's right, I said it. And no, I probably didn't need to say it for you to get the picture. I never really thought about things like this.

My life seemed to be almost as perfect as it could get. Just one little flaw in the system. I can't seem to get a girl to like me.

I know, shocker. I mean, here's the deal, when you start fitting into the popular mold at my school, you're not allowed to be gay. Might as well not even say the word.

Statistically speaking, there has to be other hella gays at my school. There just aren't any willing to admit it. The only other gay person I've met is Kelley.

The only reason I know her is because of this hospital. Let me break her down a bit for you.

Two words, Compartment Syndrome. Never heard of it? Me neither until I met her. Her blood vessels, muscles and nerves get compressed in a closed area. Causing oxygen supply to be cut off.

Just like any living thing, no oxygen equals no more living thing. It starts by killing tissue and growing from there. However, she's gotten surgery and treatment, so no more terminal illness for her.

Wow. I've just been staring at the ceiling for 30 minutes. Nice.

Guess I should get up. Just because I can stay in bed all day which might I add, can be heated, doesn't mean I want to. Today's my last day of being able to cause all sorts of trouble here.

I sit up and swing over to the side of the bed. I put one leg on the ground and then... well... that's it. Just one.

I like to think of myself as one of those flamingos you see thats standing with its knee bending the opposite way our knees bend. So imagine just the one leg without the other weird bendy one...

Come to think of it, then it wouldn't be a flamingo at all...

Oh well.

I've acquired the completely necessary skill of hopping on one leg. All of the little kids on the block would be jealous of my jumps. They are always on point.

Hippity hop to the wheelchair. I win. There wasn't any competition but you have to be entertained some way.
Another thing I've acquired is strong arms.
Girls dig that.
Mega dig that.

I wheel around in the hall, passing by nurses giving me smiles or waves. I just smile back. Some of them have been with me through this entire journey.

I don't really like to consider it a journey, because that makes me think I'm taking a hike up a volcano in Hawaii. Pretty much a cool and fun experience.

This is no where near cool or fun. But for the sake of others, 'journey' will do.

It was about six months ago when I had my surgery. After that it was chemo and radiation to keep the cancer at bay. And no, before you start, I didn't get to just skip school.

I was put into the online 'night' program where you can do one online class for extra course credits, but they made an exception for me. I was able to finish my classes while trying to not die.
What can you do?

Sorry, that seems a little harsh. But seriously, if you already consider school to be hell, then imagine it while practically poisoning your body so you can live, only to then go to school physically next year.
And to also still be alive.

Summer is almost over and I've been spending it like this, wheeling my way through the hospital. Sometimes crutching, but ever since Kelley called it my 'hot wheels' I've preferred the chair. Sadly, I won't have my own wheelchair when I'm out of here.

I should find another kid in a wheelchair to have a race, maybe then it could be a hot wheels car. It doesn't even have to be a kid, maybe my grandpa could pop by in his wheelchair.

I think I'd win that race though. Unless he gets his second wind and crushes my ass. That would be a sight to see.

Time to see Kelley. She wants to throw me a 'crutch your ass out of here and hope you never have to come back' party. Yes, those were her exact words for your information.

Who will be attending? Probably Kelley and a few other kids. Nothing close to a highschool party but I'm not arguing.

"They see her rollin'!"

"Oh my god Kelley it wasn't that funny the first time, why would it be the 50th?" I said stopping in front of her.

"Don't ruin this for me." she said, walking behind me and pushing me down the hall to the elevator.

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A/N:

Had another story idea and I wanted to start it before I lost interest in it. New writing style also so I hope it is adequate. Not sure how the whole two-stories-at-a-time will go but it's worth a shot. Little heads up though, I crushed my right hand which happens to be my dominant so updates might be a little slow. I hope you enjoyed.