Fake Smiles

#23: He's Real

Lily was sitting in the kitchen, eating her breakfast that was prepared by her mom. She was listening to the news while eating. The news was boring, but something caught her attention.

"There was major traffic yesterday at the airport when two young boys, known as the Dolan Twins, arrived at the airport. Their fans stopped many things trying to meet them. It caused minor difficulties for the roads and the airport. Hopefully, it won't happen again" the news reporter said.

Lily stopped and looked at the TV. "Woah!" She said.

"I know! Imagine trying to catch your flight when there are teenage girls blocking you! It would be mayhem! I feel sorry for everyone who was affected. And those two boys!" Her mom said. She looked at her mom. Her mom was thinking differently. She had said "woah" because she saw that the twins were actual people and not just in her dream.

She finished her breakfast and went to her room. Grabbing her laptop, she sat in bed and clicked on YouTube. She typed in the search bar: "Dolan Twins". Videos of Ethan and Grayson popped up. Including their channel.

She smiled at the videos. She watched one video and laughed at them. She kept staring at Grayson. She paused the video because her parents shouted her down.

She entered the kitchen. "You need to be ready in two hours if you want to go to the restaurant on time" her mom said.

She got nervous. "I don't want to go to the restaurant any more. Can we just stay home and watch movies while eating pizza? I don't care about going out, I'd love to spend my birthday eating pizza with you two!"

"Are you sure?" Her dad asked.

"Positive! I wouldn't change it for the world!" She replied. Her parents accepted her idea and cancelled the reservations. She went back upstairs and closed her laptop.

She walked back downstairs and sat on the couch with her parents. They began watching movies together. At 6pm, they ordered the pizza. They spent the night watching movies while cuddled up in blankets. It was 11pm when Lily decided to go to bed. She said goodnight to her parents and began walking up the stairs.

As she was walking upstairs, she was struggling to breath. She tried to take in as much oxygen as she could, but it felt like her lungs were on fire. She stopped and placed her hand on her chest. The world around her started to spin. And then everything went black.

Her parents heard a bang on the stairs. They shot up and ran to the stairs. They saw Lily lying down. Lily's dad carried her to the car and drove her to the hospital. They ran inside the hospital and yelled for help.

Lily was taken to be examined. Her parents waited in the waiting room. It had been three hours and they had no news on Lily. They started to worry more than before. By 3am, the doctor came to them.

They ran to the doctor in hopes that everything was fine. "We took examinations and we found a tumour. I'm sorry to say this, but... she has lung cancer. I'm so sorry!"

Lily's mom broke down. The doctor stayed quiet. The Lovegoods cried into each other's embrace. "You can visit her". They accepted and was led to Lily's room. The door opened and they saw their daughter lying in the hospital bed wearing an oxygen mask. They sat down on either sat of the bed.

Lily woke up to a white ceiling. She heard a beeping noise that echoed in the room. She felt something above her lips. She brushed her fingers across a tube. She followed the tube to an oxygen tank. She looked around the room for any sign of her parents. She saw them on either side of her. They were asleep in the chairs. She sighed with relief. She smiled as she saw them.

They woke up when the doctor entered the room. "We're glad to see you're awake!" The doctor said to Lily as he stood at the foot of her bed. Lily smiled at him. "We ran a few tests and we found a tumour. This may be a shock to you, but... we've diagnosed you with lung cancer. This may be a lot to take in, so I'll give you some time". The doctor left the room.

Lily didn't know how to react. First, she wakes up and found out she's never met Grayson. And now she's diagnosed with lung cancer! She didn't have any feelings towards the situation.

"Lily?" Her mom asked.

"Can I be alone?" She asked. Her parents left her alone. She sat in bed and processed everything. She grabbed her phone and got onto her contacts. She clicked someone's name. It rang, but went to voice mail. She sighed as she ended the call. She clicked the name again and waited for it to ring. After five rings, they answered.

"Lily!"

"I've got bad news" Lily spoke. "I was rushed to the hospital last night. They ran some tests and said I've got lung cancer". The line was quiet.

"I'll be there in 10". The phone call ended. Lily placed her phone on the bed and stared at the wall. She closed her eyes and breathed in.

Her friend, Alisha, finally arrived. She sat on the bed and held her hands. "Lily, I can't believe this is happening to you! You're an amazing person! It's always the good people getting the worst!"

"Oh well!" Lily admitted defeat. "Can you watch this video with me? It explains my dream I had".

Her friend agreed and watched the video. "Ooh! He's hot!" Her friend said, pointing to Ethan.

"In my dream, I met these two boys. I fell in love with Grayson. It was amazing! I actually fell in love. He gave me a promise ring! I loved him, and he loved me! But then I woke up".

"Oh, Lily!" Her friend said with sympathy. "You might be able to meet them one day! We will find them! I promise!"

"Thanks!" They hugged for a while until her friend had to go home.