Cry Me a River

Part 1

When the doctor told me I had cancer, I lost it. I started thinking about all the bad things. A lot of people died from cancer and I was scared I was going to be one of them. In fact, I'm still scared.
     I was diagnosed at the end of my senior year in high school. I was luckily able to make it to graduation before I was hospital bound. Many people were devastated. I will never forget the way my friends treated me.
     Of course your friends would act different around you for awhile but I never expected them to act the way they did. They treated me like a baby. They wouldn't talk to me as much and they would always ask if I needed help with things.
"Here's my paper if you wanted to see some answers."
"I can take that book for you."
"Careful, Willow! I can't believe they almost bumped into you."
     My friends usually copied each other's papers but they did it a lot more frequently. I remember feeling sick of it. This resulted in me becoming more silent. Of course they thought it was because I had cancer which was slightly true.
     Eventually, some of my friends stopped talking to me. People stopped waving to me in the halls. People would look down if I looked at them like my cancer was contagious. This started before I even got chemo.
Popularity- gone
     My closest friend, Veronica, said to me, "Willow, why don't you ever talk to me anymore?"
     I was honestly so stunned she said that that I couldn't respond. I tried but only mumbling came out.
     Veronica then walked away and all my other friends followed. When I tried to sit with them at lunch, they said, "we don't sit with mutes." I couldn't believe they were being so cruel.
Friends- gone
     I was able to sit with my boyfriend, Mitchell, at lunch. We sat at a booth together in the back of the cafeteria. We sat there for about two weeks. On the second Thursday, I texted him and told him I was starting chemo soon. He replied by telling me to meet him after school the next day. I remember wondering if he was going to surprise me with something.
      The next day, I met him like we planned. I will never forget him saying, "I can't do this anymore."
     Fear was rising within me but I managed to say, "Can't do what?"
"Us." He replied.
     I didn't cry right away. I knew there had to be some explanation. Me and Mitchell had been dating for four years. My eyes were watering a little bit but I wasn't going to let a tear drop.
"Why?" I said with my head down.
     I could see the pain in Mitchell's voice when he said, "I can't bear to see you without thinking about.... you know. I'm so sorry."
Boyfriend- gone