Fade (On Hold)

Chapter Three:

     I was miserable. I felt like total crap; the chemotherapy drained my energy, and some days I had to stay in bed, the throbbing in my head so prominent that I couldn't think straight.

     Chemo was in weekly increments: one week I'd have it, one week I'd rest, and so on. Lissa and Leo would get my work from all of my classes, except Calculus. Lissa, always eager to see me, came over daily, as well as Baxter, our close friendship only growing closer. Leo would come as of yet as he could, bearing gifts like food and books, despite my guilt of him spending money on me.

Late one morning, Lissa perched on my bed next to me, offering a prescription pill and a tall glass of water. "How are ya?" She chirped, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Fine today," I groan, "Meri's insisted on keeping me under house arrest for a week at the slightest wince of pain."

Lissa winks, bouncing excitedly. "House arrest no longer!" She declared, pulling me out of bed.

"What?" I laughed, confused as she wandered into my closet, yanking out dresses, holding them up to my figure.

It was my off week after being in chemo for two, and my skin was finally starting to even out, although I knew that my hair wouldn't stay much longer, especially with a more aggressive treatment coming up.

"Someone's downstairs," Lissa hissed, tossing a flower-printed dress at me. "He's really cute. Like, really cute. He's asking for you. Oh, and Leo's here too."

I shove the short dress back in my closet, brushing the wrinkles out of my t-shirt, glancing down at my sweatpants. "It's probably just Baxter," I smiled, "and he doesn't care. He's seen me like this before."

Lissa gave me a surprised look before dramatically flinging open the door, muttering about how she doesn't know a Baxter, why hasn't she heard of a Baxter before? She slid down the railing as her method of traveling downstairs.

I was greeted with Leo and Baxter seated at the kitchen table, arguing about whether or not Chicago's pizza restaurants sold only Chicago style pizza.

"I guess you'll just have to find out," Luke interrupted them, carrying out four mugs of hot chocolate. "Good morning, sunshine," he gave me a grin.

The boys heads whipped around to face me, and before I could blink, I was wrapped in two pairs of sturdy arms.

"You didn't tell me about this guy," Leo whined, poking me in the side teasingly.

"Already trying to replace me?" Baxter murmured in my ear, and I reached up to flick them.

"Glad to know you missed me," I laughed.

     Leo casually reached into his back pocket, pulling out his keys, jangling them in my face.

     "We're kidnapping you," he informed me, and I shot Lissa a look, who in return shot me a smirk.

     "To where?" I stepped back, and Luke chuckled from the living room.

     "Chicago," he called. "Good luck with those hooligans, I don't know how you put up with them."