When former beauty pageant queen, Ellie Wilde, hears of her grandmother's sickness, she's the first to offer to drive her to her chemotherapy. What she didn't know she was agreeing to was an obnoxiously cheerful blond boy somehow nudging his way int...
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"Thanks again for agreeing to take me to these appointments, honey," Ellie's grandma says, turning to her with a grateful smile.
Ellie responds with a smile of her own, only to have that smile fade in an instant the moment she sees a familiar boy waving at her from across the room. Her grandma frowns, looking over her shoulder to find the cause to Ellie's sudden change in mood.
"I see," she says, turning back to her with a knowing smile. "He's quite an attractive young man, isn't he?"
"What?" Ellie says, eyebrows furrowed as a look of distaste takes over her features.
"That blond boy over there staring at you. He's quite attractive. If I were just a few years younger—"
"He's obnoxious," She replies, rolling her eyes.
Her grandma laughs. "What a shame. The attractive ones always are."
Ellie's eyes widen when she notices Cooper making his way across the room. She doesn't even have time to react before he's stood in front of them.
"Hello, Ellie," he says, shooting her a quick wink before turning to her grandma. "And hello, Ellie's grandma. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Cooper."
"Cooper?" Ellie's grandma says, an eyebrow quirked. "And how do you know my granddaughter, Cooper?"
"I don't really. We just met the other day." He pauses. "I was waiting in the lobby after my chemo and she was down here getting coffee."
Ellie watches as a look of sadness passes through her grandma's features. "You're sick? But you're so young. That's awfully unfair."
He laughs. "Yeah. I suppose cancer doesn't care how old you are."
Her grandma nods slowly before a sad smile takes over her lips. She turns back to her granddaughter, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to head up there. You come meet me whenever you're ready, there's no rush."
"No, that's okay. I'll just go up with you now," she says quickly, sparing a glance at Cooper to see him wearing that same smug smile she saw before.
Her grandma frowns in her direction before leaning in to whisper, "Don't be rude. This poor boy must be scared out of his mind. The least you can do is give him a little bit of company."
She sighs, nodding at her grandmother in understanding and watching as the elderly woman turns back to Cooper. "It was a pleasure to meet you, young man. I'll pray for a speedy recovery for you."
He nods, forcing on an awkward smile. "You too, ma'am."
Her grandma takes off towards the elevator, leaving the teens alone. Ellie turns to Cooper and quirks an eyebrow, waiting for him to say whatever it is he walked over to say.
He smiles, clapping his hands together. "Did you bring me a coffee?"
"No." She frowns, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're awfully expectant considering the fact that you're a stranger to me."
He nods his head to the seats next to the elevator before taking off in their direction. She assumes his nod means he wants her to follow and so she does, taking a seat in the chair next to him.
"I'll let the coffee thing slide," he says, crossing his legs up on the seat and leaning towards her. "How old are you, Ellie?"
She sends him a wary glance. "Nineteen."
"Me too."
She doesn't respond and a silence falls over them. It only breaks when a dry laugh sounds from Cooper. Confused, Ellie spares him another glance to see what's so funny.
"You know," he says, "I've spent my whole life in school. I finally graduate from high school and then I get diagnosed with cancer."
She doesn't know what to say so she doesn't say anything.
"I could have spent those years doing things with my life. But instead I spent them all stressing over school. SATS, college applications, tests. And for what? Just to end up dying young anyway? What bullshit."
She fumbles with a loose thread on the sleeve of her sweater, finding herself feeling sorry for the boy beside her. She may not know him and he may be obnoxious, but suddenly she can't help but feel remorse for him.
"Life fucking sucks," he mutters. "But I don't intend to waste the rest of mine."
