Day on the Beach

College

MINOR BLOOD TRIGGER WARNING

Four years later, Olivia was watching television in her apartment off campus the day before graduation. There was a knock at the door that she assumed was the pizza she ordered. She ran and opened the door, amazed when she saw Logan staring back at her. She only assumed it was Logan because of their eyes. They looked as if they hadn't eaten in the four years since she'd last seen them. They were shivering as if the lack of fat on their body was causing them to lose body heat.

"Can I come in?" they asked.

"Yeah. Of course you can," Olivia said quickly. She realized she was staring and blushed as she let them in.

"This is a great place you have here," they said absently.

"Thanks... so why are you here?" She asked.

"I wanted to apologize to you," they stated, "for that day on the beach. I wasn't being a good friend to you. I thought I was saving you from my hurricane of drama, but I was just being a jerk. I'm sorry."

Olivia shook her head. "But why? What were you protecting me from? I don't see any hurricane."

Logan chuckled. "Haven't you noticed how much I've changed? You think this was healthy?" They gestured to their body. "I weigh eighty-two pounds. I'm tired all the time. I can't breathe without coughing up blood. I'm in the hospital all the time with lung infections. I'm dying. I have cystic fibrosis and I'm dying, Liv. I didn't want you to factor me into your decisions. You're going so many places that I can't and it's all because I left your life."

"So let me get this straight," she said slowly. "You show up just to die right in front of me?

"I figured you might want to know—"

"No, I'm not finished yet. You know, you could've just disappeared. I never would've known..."

"But... you would've always wondered what happened," they stammered.

"Then why did you leave my life in the first place?" She yelled. "What gave you the right to just abandon me like that?"

"I thought I was doing the right thing, Liv. Have you ever had a severely debilitating and fatal illness? Do you think you know how to cope with my illness better than I do?" They panted. The exertion of energy from fighting with her was beginning to be too much for them. "I need to go. Have a nice life, Olivia," they coughed and walked toward the door. Suddenly they collapsed into a fit of coughing.

"Logan! Oh my god!" Olivia rushed to their side and tried to help them sit up against the wall. "What do I do? Should I call 911?"

Logan croaked, "please... just hold me... please don't let me die alone," between coughs.

"Logan... please... you're not gonna die alone... please stay with me... I'm gonna call 911," she sobbed.

"Liv... remember that day... on the beach... senior year?" They asked.

"Of course I do. I'll never forget that day."

"I... wanted to tell you then... that I love you... but I didn't want to hurt you..." they said. "I wanted to kiss you... but I didn't want you to fall for me..."

"I already had," she cried. There was blood everywhere. She needed to call 911. "I'm going to call an ambulance."

"Please... Liv... don't leave me... I don't want to die alone... please..." they begged.

"I'm just going to get my phone, then I'll come right back," she promised.

"Please... hurry..." they pleaded.

She ran to the other room and came back with her phone and was only gone for about a minute, but Logan was already unconscious. "Logan! Please! No, please, stay with me!" She dialed 911 and followed the operator's instructions until the first responders arrived, but it wasn't enough. They died anyway.