Benedict Cumberbatch is the new kid in school. One of the many girls there catch his eye, but she's different. It's because she's different that she doesn't want to be with him, but he will not be easily persuaded...
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Lee, Aaron and I were watching expectantly to gauge his reaction. He looked nervous, but I suppose anyone would if they were being watched eating. Benedict—or, Ben as he insisted we call him—took a sip of the strawberry-banana with Nutella shake. Almost immediately, his eyes went wide.
"Oh my God," he told us. "This is...the best shake I have ever had!" The three of us cheered causing him to blush. He seems to do that a lot. "Thank you again for inviting me," he told us. "I probably would have had another boring night watching television with my parents."
"Well, lucky for you, Cassie has a guest house out back and her parents hardly bother us," Aaron informed him. "It's literally a whole other house." I couldn't argue with that because it was true. That's where I spent most of my time when I want to be alone. I always want to be alone.
"Speaking of which," Lee said, pointing to her watch. I looked down at mine and nearly gasped. "Shit, I didn't realize," I whined. Aaron picked up his backpack and said, "So let's get these shakes to go." We got to-go cups and poured in our shakes before leaving. I'm so glad I have Aaron and Lee to watch out for stuff like this.
As we walked to my house, my bag started to get a little heavy. When this time came around, it usually got pretty bad. If I don't start my chemo soon, I could pass out. Just as the bag was getting unbearable, it was pulled from my arm. I looked up and saw Ben sling it over his shoulder.
He didn't say anything, just gave me a small smile. Somehow, it was like he understood.
When we got to my house, we were greeted by my ever cheerful parents. My mom Amy was always positive, even through all of the stuff that I have to deal with. Honestly, she has to go through it, too, but as a mother.
My dad Jeffery was the same as my mom, always positive and upbeat. Sometimes I think dad took it harder than mom. I was really young when I got diagnosed, but I will never forget the sight of my dad crying. To this day, it still haunts me because he can be such a hard ass.
"Hi, you guys!" My mom said as we all walked into the house. "Oh, who's this?" She went up to Ben who looked a tad nervous. "Hi, Mrs. Hansen, I'm Ben," he introduced. "He just moved here," I explained. "Ben, this is my mom Amy." Him and mom shook hands.
"Well, it's good to see a fresh face around here," mom teased. "Welcome to our home, Ben. Jeffery! The kids are home!"Dad came out from his office with a smile and greeted Lee, Aaron and I with hugs. "And you are?" He asked as he got to Ben.
"This is Ben," I told him. "Ben, this is my dad, Jeffery." He and dad gave each other a manly handshake. Dad was eyeing Ben like a piece of meat. "Well," I announced, "I've got to, uh...do my thing, so..." I waved goodbye to the parents and headed out back with my friends in tow. "Your parents are really cool," Ben said to me as we walked to the guest house.
I let out a light laugh and told him, "Yeah, they are. What are your parents like?" He chuckled a bit, then said, "They're absolutely amazing. Despite making me move here, but...it's quickly becoming an okay decision." With out really realizing, I asked, "Anything I can do to make it more than okay?"
Immediately, I caught what I said and blushed profusely...but he was as red as a tomato. "I-I mean what...what I meant was...like, I can, um...I can show you around town and maybe...I don't know do things you probably couldn't do in London like go to the beach, or...something."
Why was I stammering like an idiot? Again, I was acting weird around him! He started to nervously laugh and rub the back of his neck. I found it almost adorable. "Erm...yeah, that would be, um...that would be good. Thank you, Cassie."
Without saying anything, I walked into the guest house and threw my bag down on the floor. "Put your stuff wherever you want," I told him as he walked in behind Lee and Aaron, gaping at the place. "Your house—houses—are beautiful," he breathed out. "Thanks," I said as I grabbed my items from the cabinet.
I took out the liquid chemotherapy bag with all of the tubes and needles that came with it, then grabbed a giant pole from the corner. I hooked the bag on to the pole, plugged in the tube, then stuck the needle in my arm. Lee came over with medical tape and taped the needle down on my arm.
Once I sat down on the couch, I let out a deep sigh. I could see Ben standing awkwardly in the middle of the room from the corner of my eye. "Come sit, Ben," I called, while patting the seat next to me. Aaron jumped over the back of the couch and landed next to me with a thud!. Lee came over and sat next to him, then Ben sat at the end of the couch.
"Alright, gang," Lee said, "what movie? We've got the ever so amazing Michael Meyers collection, the Jason Vorhees collection, the Freddy Krueger collection, and the legacy of Scream. We've also got such titles as The Exorcist, Insidious, The Conjuring and any other possession movie you can think of because our girl is obsessed with them." I laughed along with Aaron and Ben, then said, "Let's have our newest friend decide. Ben, what's your favorite scary movie?"
He looked almost caught of guard, then started to nervously say, "Um, well...honestly, I've only seen The Exorcist. I'm not one for scary movies." Aaron looked at him from over Lee's head and mocked, "Why? Scared, Benny Boy?" Ben chuckled, "No, no. I guess I just haven't found a good one."
I looked to Lee and said, "Let's educate this boy. Start him off with some Krueger." Lee nodded, then hopped up from the couch and went over to the dvd's. I looked over to Ben and saw him staring at me...again. "Does that help?" He asked me. His eyes went down to the needle in my arm.
I shrugged and truthfully told him, "Yeah. It's not going to cure me, but it keeps me around." Aaron turned a bit sad, then said, "She only does it so she can keep hanging out with us weirdos." He and Lee tried to laugh and make light of it, but they knew. They knew there wasn't any way for me to be cured or even remotely feel better.
They knew that any breath I took could be my last.
