Fake Smiles

#30: Marathon

Grayson woke up happier than ever. Yesterday he had spent the whole day with Lily. Today he was going to run a marathon with Ethan and Lily. He was worried about Lily because she seems to be getting worse. And he could only fear the worst. He'd lost her once, he doesn't want to lose her again.

The marathon starts at 1pm, so he had time to spent it with Lily. He woke up at 8am and took a quick shower. After making him and Ethan breakfast, he woke Ethan up and pulled him out of bed. By 9:30am, they were leaving the apartment to go to Lily's house.

They knocked on the door and waited for Lily to answer. But a middle aged man did. The twins smiled at him while he eyed them. "Is Lily home?" Grayson asked, scared out of his life. The man welcomed them inside and led them to the living room. Sitting on the couch, the man began to ask them questions.

"How old are you?"

"15".

"What are your intentions with my daughter?"

"Nothing inappropriate, we promise" Grayson said. "We just want to see her happy".

"Do you know about her problem?"

"Her illness?" Grayson asked. "Yeah, we're well aware of her condition. We really want to help her. I did offer to pay for the treatment, but she refused. She wouldn't let me. But I'm sure she'll get the treatment".

"How many girlfriends have you ever had?"

"I don't think that's relevant" Ethan said, unsure.

"I'll say whether it's relevant or not! Answer the question!"

"Um... about 3? Maybe 4?" Ethan replied.

"Maybe 2 or 3?" Grayson said after. "4 maximum".

"Are you virgins?"

"DAD!" They all turned to see Lily standing in the doorway. She walked to her dad and waited for an explanation. He just looked at her with a 'what' look. "I know you are just trying to do what's best for me, but their sex life is private. They are caring people. I promise".

"We won't hurt her" Ethan said. "We promise!"

Her dad eyed them up before sighing. "Alright! Have fun! Not too much fun. Be safe". Lily hugged him before leaving with the twins. They began walking back to the apartment to watch movies and prepare for the marathon.

They spent two hours talking about the marathon. Grayson had informed Lily about what will happen if she can't finish it. He told her that it's fine to stop when she's tired. They also spoke about where they will be because of everyone else. They agreed to stay behind the group of runners.

After eating pizza, it was time to go to the location of the marathon. They all signed up and walked behind everyone. Lily was standing between the twins in case something bad happens.

Bang!

The gun shot. It had begun. Everyone began to run along the track. Ethan and Grayson stayed at the same pace as Lily. Everything was going well, they were half way to the finish line. That's when it started to go bad...

Lily slowed down, placing her hand on her chest. Ethan and Grayson slowed down to walk with her. Grayson stopped her. "Are you alright? Do you need to rest? We can stop here if you'd like?!"

She shook her head. "No, I need to complete this race! I can't let cancer beat me when I can still fight!" She said.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Grayson asked.

Once again, she shook her head. She began to jog to the finish line. The twins ran next to her, holding her arms to steady her. Together, they crossed the finish line. Everyone cheered for them as they stopped.

Grayson carried Lily to an open area. He sat her down and sat next to her. She was taking in as much oxygen as possible. Eventually, she was breathing normally.

As they were walking away from the marathon, they were stopped by a group of people with cameras. They stopped and stared at them.

"How does it feel to run a marathon for cancer, when you are battling the disease yourself?" The interviewer asked Lily. She was shocked at first. She didn't know how to respond.

"Um... relieving?" She was unsure if her answer.

"Congratulations on doing what might have seemed impossible!" And then the group of interviewers left. Confused, the three of them walked back to the apartment.

Lily spent the rest of the day at the apartment. She had fallen asleep on the couch, cuddling with Grayson, while watching a movie. She woke up when Ethan entered the apartment with Chinese.

They ate the Chinese while watching an action movie. By 9pm, the twins were walking Lily home. Lily went into bed and opened her laptop. She began to watch more YouTube videos of the twins. As she was watching the "SLIPPERY CHALLENGE", she fell asleep.

When she woke up, she entered the kitchen for breakfast. She sat down at the table with her parents and began to eat the food prepared by her mom. As she was eating, her dad spoke up. "There's a letter here for you" he said, handing her the letter.

Cautiously, she opened the letter. She read the information. Tears started to flood her vision. She placed the letter on the table and began to cry. But it was tears of happiness. Her mom took the letter and began to read out loud.

"Dear Miss Lily Lovegood, we are glad to inform you that your treatment has been paid. Your appointment for the treatment can be arranged for any time that suits you. When you come for the appointment, please: don't wear anything metal, don't eat anything 2 hours before the treatment, stay hydrated. We'll see you for your appointment. Thank you".

Her parents smiled as they hugged their daughter. Lily couldn't believe it. She was so happy! She broke the hug and ran to her room. She looked for her phone so she could call someone. Finding her phone underneath her pillow, she looked through her contacts until she came to a certain name.

She dialed the number. It was ringing... ringing... ringing... answered.

"Hello?" A familiar voice asked.

Lily smiled as she replied, "Grayson! I have some news!"