The Cancer Chick's Best Friend

Chapter Five

The very next day Olivia woke up to Ashleigh's shrill scream and Jared's laugh.

"Guys, what are you even doing here it's Seven A.M.!" Olivia groaned and pulled the pillow over her head.

"Well our parents think we left for school so had to come over here" Ash said and shrugged.

"That's the thing though," Drew said from the corner of the room. Olivia hadn't noticed him till then. "Both of their grades are dropping because they're missing too many classes and tests."

"Hes right guys, you need to go to school. You can come visit me after anyways right?" She said, rubbing her eyes and sitting up on her bed, stretching a bit.

"Don't like the idea of letting you out of my sight, sorry." Jared curtly said.

Olivia spent loads of time with her family, but since her cancer was diagnosed, her parents had become very subdued. She felt like she was being treated like a fragile object, something that would break with the slightest of effort, and it would annoy her. Olivia, like Jared, hated sympathy and the idea of mourning. She remembered how she had laughed at her grandpa's funeral remembering a joke he made about funerals being too damn serious. It's how Olivia's belief system worked, Celebrate the life that was lived rather than mourning the death that has occurred.

Jared, Ashleigh and Drew were the only ones who stayed for ages to make her feel normal, for her mom always seemed to sob and her dad just couldn't bear the idea of seeing his daughter as weak as she was. It seemed rather weird to her friends, but she understood why. You can't stick around and see your child's health deteriorate, that would be torture.

"I'll stay with her. My GPA is 4.0 and I haven't really taken much leaves anyway, I can afford it. Go" Drew said.

"Since when did you have a 4.0 GPA?" Jared asked in surprise.

"If you weren't so busy with every girl in our school, especially Kate, you'd have probably noticed."

Jared sheepishly grinned and scratched the back of his neck.

"Guys, Gross." Olivia remarked, "Anyway, get going or y'all will be super late, and tell Jack I said he owes me a chocolate chip cookie and a muffin for not returning my calls." Olivia got up to hug them.

"But I don't wanna leave!" Ashleigh said and fake- pouted.

"It's fine! Go get your education! I promise I'll be here when you're back" Olivia said, hugging Ashleigh and Jared at the same time.

"You better keep that promise Liv" Jared said, kissed her forehead, gave Drew a nod and walked downstairs. Ashleigh hugged her again and said, "See ya" and walked out too.

"You've missed loads of classes, why lie?" Olivia asked Drew, sitting back on her bed. He walked over to her and sat down beside her and said, "I've got my Dad's business to fall back on after high school. Those two have bigger dreams, can't let you see them fail, can I?" He asked and smiled.

"Jared has his dad's business too though" Olivia said.

"His passion is in photography, not construction, and you know that." Drew said. "I actually like the jewelry business, it's interesting and gets me all the ladies" he grinned.

"I don't think I've ever seen you with any of these 'ladies' " Olivia said and laughed.

"Say, do you wanna tick off another thing on your bucket list?" He asked.

"You read it?" She asked.

"Oh you mean the prestigious bucket list that only Jared, Ash and you can read? Totally not." He smirked.

"Well, I don't mind you reading it" she said and smiled.

"I know, which is why I've got two birds with one stone." He said.

"I'm a vegetarian Drew." She replied.

"It was metaphoric. I'll wait downstairs for you, get dressed. Casual wear, it's cold outside so wear a sweater and hurry up." He said and rushed downstairs.

"Wait! Which one on the list!?" She called out.

"You'll find out soon enough!" He shouted from below.