Let's Not Talk About Tomorow

Jake

I hesitated as I pushed my key in the lock, what would Gabrielle think? I hadn't told her about my parents or about Dad's cancer. Would she even understand?

"C'mon, Jake" She grinned "We haven't got all day"

"Right, sorry" I opened the door and stepped aside to let her in. I caught a whiff of her perfume as she swished past, her curls brushing my face. "Um, you can put your shoes there" I pointed to our shoe rack, surely she must notice the lack of female shoes?

"Can we go to your room?"

"Sure, let me just say hi to my parents"

"Oo! I'll come!" I gave a weak smile and led her into the living-room.

Dad and Papa were sleeping on the sofa. Papa was engulfed in Dad's arms, his cheek was squashed against Dad's chest.

"Awwww" Gabrielle smiled "They are adorable!"

"Dad" I whispered, shaking his shoulders "Dad, I'm home" Groggily, he opened his eyes and stretched out as much as physically possible without knocking Papa off the sofa.

"Hello" He greeted sleepily "Oh, I forgot your girlfriend was coming over"

"Dad!" I hissed "She's not my girlfriend!"

"Not yet" Gabrielle winked. I flushed and ducked my head. She likes me?! Dad wolf whistled and playfully nudged me.

"Jake, will you do me a favour and grab my pills?" Dad asked as he adjusted Papa so he was curled up on his lap

"Which ones?"

"The ones in the blue packet and a glass of water, please?"

"Okay"

Gabrielle followed closely behind me, sitting down at the kitchen island whilst I searched for Dad's pills.

"Can I ask you something?" Gabrielle asked softly as she twisted a lock of hair around her finger.

"I guess" I straightened up "Is it about my parents by any chance?"

"Yes" She admitted "I'm just confused" I sighed

"One day, when I was 5, my parents and I were on our way to the coast for a holiday. We were on the motorway and then something happened. I can't really remember it. My dad started yelling and I heard my mum scream. The car flipped and skidded off the road. I was in my child seat so I didn't get hurt. I was too young to understand what happened. I crawled out a broken window and tried to wake up my dad, I thought he was asleep but he'd actually been crushed and killed on impact. My mum was still alive but she was bleeding and crying and telling me that it hurt and she just wanted to go to sleep. So I let her. I dragged her out the car and let her go to sleep. I let her die, Gabrielle, and I had no idea"

"Oh my god!" She covered her mouth in shock

"A man pulled over in his car and rushed over to me. The ambulance,police and firefighters arrived soon after. A policeman kept asking me what happened and wouldn't let me near my parents. I saw the firefighters cut my dad out of the car and put him in a body bag. I didn't understand, I kept telling them to leave him alone. He wouldn't be able to breathe in there. My mum was stretchered into an ambulance and the paramedics took pity on me and let me come with them. My parents were taken away and I wasn't allowed to follow, I had to stay with the receptionist in A&E. I found her to be very boring, so I wandered off. I heard a man crying and turned around and saw Papa, who is the man you saw cuddling with my dad a minute ago.He was crying on my dad's shoulder. I saw marks on his wrist where his jumper and slid down. I've seen those marks before. My sister used to self-harm until she eventually killed herself when I was 4. I had to go and talk to him, I didn't know him but I knew that the man who was comforting him wouldn't want him to die like my sister did"

"What happened after that?"

"I stayed with them whilst Papa got his cuts cleaned and treated because they were infected. They told me they'd visit me sometime and I thought that was it. They would never come back. I got taken to a care home for kids, they all hated me. It was hell but one Saturday, my careworker told me I had visitors. They came, Gabrielle. They came to see me and you now what they told me? They told me they wanted to adopt me. It was the best news Id ever heard in my entire 5 years of existence. It took a month of paperwork and days out and sleepovers at their house until they could finally take me home for good and the rest is history"

"Thank you for telling me that" Gabrielle aid "Can I hug you?" I nodded. My heart fluttered in my chest as she touched me and held me close to her. I buried my head in her curls, inhaling her scent.

"You're so strong, you know" She murmured in my ear "You've gone through so much, I am in awe. You don't have to tell me anything else but I'd like to know a few more things"

"What do you want to know?" I asked after she pulled away, way too soon for my liking.

"Two things.... Is your dad ill? Also, why did you disappear for such a long period of time?"

"How do you even know about me disappearing?" I inquired, she wasn't even at my school then

"People talk about it, you know. A lot of different stories are going around"

"I... I don't want to talk about that. Not yet"

"That's okay" She reached for my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze

"My dad has cancer, Gabrielle. Again"

"Again?"

"He had cancer from the age of 11 to about 20 but he got treatment for it and we all thought it was gone forever. 3 months ago he got a really bad pain in his head and went for an MRI scan. It's all back, Gabrielle. I don't know if he'll live or not. We can't cope without him"

"C'mere" She pulled me into another tight, warm hug "You can always talk to me if you need to. I'm always here for you"

"Thank you"

"No problem, you should probably give your dad those pills now"

We walked back into the living-room where I handed Dad his pills and water, Papa had woken up now and was playing a game on Dad's phone, his head resting on Dad's lap.

"Thanks" Dad smiled as he took them from me

"Oh, hi, Jake!" Papa greeted "How was school?"

"It was alright" I shrugged "I did a study session at lunchtime"

"Good, hello, Gabrielle. It's nice to meet you" Papa said once he spotted her behind me

"You too"

"We're going to go upstairs" I informed them

"No touching" Dad joked

"Dad" I groaned "Shut up"

"You love me really"

"I suppose" I gave him and Papa a kiss on the cheek before leaving them alone.