Memorıes Lıke These

Chapter Seven

     I stood in the entryway awkwardly and looked around the small home. There was stuff everywhere, pictures on the walls, clothes in piles on the couch, bags and shoes around the front door. Lorna set Lyle down and called out again. There was a slam of a door from upstairs and then some footsteps before I heard someone speak.

     "Hey!"

     I looked up and saw a teenage guy with brown hair, very much like Lorna’s, swept carefully around his face. His fringe finished just above his eyes and was styled to the side. He had brown eyes, which struck me as strange because Lorna had blue eyes, but he had the same nose as Lorna and his cheeks weren’t as puffy as hers but getting there. He kicked a bag away from his feet and stumbled down the stairs.

     "You’re home early." Then, as if he just realised I was there, he turned to me. "Hey."

     "Hi." I replied.

     "Who are you?" He asked in a polite way.

     "I’m Tristan."

     "He’s my friend. Where’s mom?" Lorna asked.

     The boy flicked his fringe and picked up a sports bag from off the ground. “Out somewhere. I’m not staying here long, I’m going to Josh’s.”

     "This is my brother, Noah." Lorna introduced to me and Noah looked at me and smiled. His smile wasn’t as pretty as Lorna’s, but it was friendly and warm. I could now understand why he was so popular.

     "Nice to meet you. Want a drink or anything?"

     "Uh, yes thanks." I replied and Noah nodded before walking off into the kitchen, which just looked like a storeroom but with appliances. "We only have juice."

     "That’s fine." I said.

     "I brought home a pet!" Lorna called out to Noah. There was a loud crash of something hitting the floor and Noah appeared at the doorway. "What?"

     Lyle ran over to Noah and he stared at it before stepping back. “You can’t bring that in here! You know mom hates animals!”

     "But look at him!" Lorna pouted.

     "Yes, I know he’s cute, Lorna, but if mum finds it she will literally throw it outside."

     "Well, that’s why I brought Tristan here. We can persuade her."

     Noah handed me a glass full of juice and looked at Lyle warily. “You know it won’t work…”

     "It’s worth a try!"

     I sipped at my juice awkwardly as I watched Noah and Lorna talk.

     "Whatever. She’ll be home in like ten minutes, I have to go though." Noah said, swinging the sports bag over his shoulder and shoving on his shoes. "Nice meeting you Tristan!"

     "You too. Thanks for the juice." I replied, pulling my mouth away from my glass. 

     "Bye, Noah." Lorna said as he opened the door and walked outside into the streets. She shut the door and looked at me. "That’s Noah."

     "Nice guy." I said, generally meaning it. I thought about all the times I brought friends home and not once did Greg offer them a drink or say ‘it’s nice meeting you’. In fact, every time, he ignored their presence, or made the stay a living hell for them. But I guess Lorna didn’t have many friends over. 

     I wondered if I was her first since she was diagnosed.

     "Yeah, he is. He’s got such a big heart. Girls love him." She laughed. "Now, Lyle…."

     Lorna walked over to the kitten and picked it up. “I can see you living here.”

     I finished my juice and walked into the kitchen to place it on the bench, when Lorna appeared by my side.

     "Wanna see my room?" She grinned.

—-

     Lorna’s room was exactly like her, bright, pretty and perfect. It had to be the only clean room in the house. It was quite small, but she made up for the space by hanging things on the walls. There were canvases with positive quotes everywhere and everything was blue and purple. Her bed was blue and purple, her curtains were blue and purple, most of her toys were blue and purple and most of the stationery on her desk was blue and purple. She smiled and sat down on her bed.

     "See that picture over there?" Lorna said, pointing to a faded photograph pinned to the wall. In the photo there were two girls standing together and smiling. It took me a while to realise that it was a younger Lorna.

     "That’s me and Cara." She said. "When we were 11."

     In the photo they looked so happy and so close, which is why it annoyed me that she just left Lorna when she needed her the most.

     "I just can’t seem to throw it away. It reminds me of my life before I was diagnosed and how happy I was." Lorna said, coming up behind me. I looked closer in the photo and saw that Cara and Lorna were wearing matching necklaces.

     "Friendship necklaces." Lorna supplied for me. "I still have mine, she probably threw it out years ago."

     "I’m really sorry, Lorna." I said, looking at her.

     She just laughed. “What for?”

     "That she just walked out on you. That’s not what best friends do."

     "Yeah, well I don’t blame her."

     "You keep saying that, but why? Why don’t you blame her? Because you’re sick and sick people scare some people? Well that’s a meaningless excuse. If you are someone’s best friend, you are with them through thick and thin. If they are dying right in front of you, you stay with them. Because that’s what best friends do. So screw Cara. Blame her because she needs to be blamed." I snapped.

     Lorna hung her head and everything went silent for a while. Then she spoke.

     "Tristan, will you stay with me till the very end?" She asked quietly.

     "Yes." I said. "Because I’m your best friend."