"Dear Math,
Grow up and solve your own problems."
~~~~~
Leaving the hospital was always hard, but even more so today.
Mae was sleeping when I left with Mom in the morning. "Is Mae going to survive radiation?" I asked pulling the seatbelt over my chest. Mom looked uncomfortable for a moment then said, "You heard that, huh?" I nodded. "Well, Sweetie, I just don't know. Your father and I are trying but... I just don't know."
We backed out of the hospital's driveway and headed off to Riverwood Middle School.
"Bye Mom" I mumbled, trying to act all cool and middle schooly. "BYE SWEETIE! LOVE YOU!" Mom shouted waving ecstatically at me. "Love you too." I muttered.
I walked into school, tying my hair up in a messy I-don't-care kind of way.
Olive rushed towards me. "Hey. How are you? You haven't been answering any of my texts. Is everything ok?"
"Yeah I'm fine. It's just been a rough night at the hospital. Mae has to go through radiation therapy. The doctors say the chemo isn't working." I replied, mindlessly walking toward my locker.
Olive face fell. "Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry." "It's fine. It's not your fault that Mae has cancer. Not your fault half my life is spent in a hospital now." Tears were falling down my face now.
Olive lay a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Listen, Addy, Mae is going to be okay." Her face brightened. "Hey! Maybe I can come over and say hi!"
"Ok that's a great idea. I'm sure Mae would be happy to see you." I wiped the tears from my face and, waving good-bye to Olive, walked to first period.
~~~~~~
Math. A word that strikes fear in to the hearts of any child, young or old. Like who cares if you can find x or calculate the area of a triangle?
Olive was constantly texting me and, as the great student I am, I was artfully ignoring her.
Olive: hai
Olive: are you there?
Olive: 😑
Olive: r u ignoring me
Olive: SERIOUSLY?!?
Olive: im upset😒
Olive: fine
Olive: be like that
Olive: GOD DAMMIT ADDISON PICK UP THE DAM PHONE
Olive: you're so annoying
Olive: why am I still friends with you
Olive: did 9 years mean nothing to you
Olive: since KINDERGARTEN WOMAN
Olive: I helped you through ur first period and this is how you repay me!
Olive: fine #GIRLBYE
Me: hi
Olive: I HATE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW
Olive: I'm hiding out in the girls bathroom to talk to you
Me: well ur gonna have to wait till next period.
Me: bai
Olive: ADDISON MARIE ROBERTS
Olive: I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU LEAVE
Olive: she left
Olive: I can't believe it
I put my phone away and attempted to focus on the math task at hand.
Something about cubes and rulers?
~~~~~~
After school, my mom drove Olive and I to the hospital to visit Mae. Olive was constantly asking questions like, "When does she get to go back to school?", "When does she get of chemo?"
When we got to the hospital, Olive practically ran to the front desk, and said to the nurse at the desk, "Um, excuse me but do you have a patient by the name of Mae Roberts? That's my friend's sister ya know. She's seups cool!"
The receptionist lady (who's name
I knew was Denise) looked taken a back by the avalanche of questions being fired at her.
"Denise, just point her in the direction of Mae's room," I said, glaring at Olive.
"I was just trying to help," she
grumbled.
Walking to Mae's room felt like an eternity. I decided to warn Olive that Mae looked like a skeleton now and she might not be how she remembered her.
"Psh, I'm sure she's fine. Anyway I'll still love her no matter what she looks like." Olive sang, prancing down the hospital's hallway.
Mae is Olive's favorite person, other than me of course.
We arrived at Mae's room. The curtains were drawn and no light was coming through the thin fabric.
Mom knocked on the door. "Mae, it's Mommy, Addy, and a surprise guest. May we come in?"
Mae opened the door a crack and Mae jumped out wearing a terrifying clown mask. Olive and I screamed and ran down the hallway a few paces.
Mae was laughing so hard, she had to hold on to her IV for support.
"Look what Daddy got me! He said it was to scare you. And it worked!" She laughed loudly again.
Olive was laughing and didn't seem fazed at Mae's frail appearance. "You got us real good," she said, laughing and hugging Mae around her frail shoulders.
Dad came out laughing. "Bravo, Champ!" He laughed and ran his fingers down her bald scalp.
"Did I scare ya, Addy! How about you Olive? You looked plenty scared!" Mae squealed before forcefully hugging Olive.
Before we could answer her question, the nurse came in with the "bad medicine".
Mae jumped up onto her hospital bed and pushed up her hospital gown's sleeve.
Mom and Dad looked surprised. "Are you still afraid of the bad medicine sweetheart?" Mom asked Mae worriedly. "No, I mean it could be worse right?" Mae said as the doctor injected the bad medicine it to her small body.
"I'm so proud of you, Champ!" Dad said.
It could be so much worse Mae. I thought thinking of radiation therapy
----------------------------------------------
Thank you so much for reading the third installment of my book! Until next time be sure to...
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bai💖
YOU ARE READING
The Girl who Thought She could Fly
General FictionAddison Roberts thought she could fly. But she couldn't. Not after her little sister was diagnosed with cancer. Now she and her sister want to complete everything they've ever accomplished and more.
