TFIOS: What About Isaac?

Hazel Grace

"Hey Isaac." Croaked a familiar voice which had just entered the room.

"Hazel?" I replied, lifting myself up from my sleeping position on our three-person sofa. I had dozed off for a nap just after mom and I had or uncomfortable conversation.

"How are you?" Hazel sounded...worn out.

Withered.

As I got fixed in a sitting position, I could feel here sitting down next to me on the couch, oxygen cart strolling not far behind.

She sat on my right, and I lay back on the couch. I felt relaxed when I was with Hazel. Not in a romantic, seductive way.

A natural way.

Like she was one of my oldest and dearest friends. And even though she wasn't one of my oldest- like Augustus- she was one of my dearest.

I hope she felt the exact same way.

" Well...you know. Still blind. But hanging in there, conquering the darkness, day by day and night by night." I laughed placing my hands on my jeans knee. "Yourself?"

"Much the same as you, I suppose." she began, "except for the blind part...obviously." Even though a couldn't see hazel's fragile face, I knew that there was a trace of her sparking smile, painted upon her face. But in that sparkling smile, I also knew there would almost certainly be sadness.

Loss.

Pain.

I don't know if it was selfish o me to thing this, but I was almost glad to be blind at times. At least then I didn't have to see people's sadness.

"Yeah, the blind part pretty much sucks ass" I giggled.

The good thing is, she giggled too.

It was almost as if things were normal again.

"How about some blind guy video games?" I suggested.

"As long as I'm player one!"

"Ugh. Fine." I sneered with a hint of sarcasm. I could here Hazel laugh, and straighten up on the springy couch.

"Graham, you little dipshit, come here!" I bellowed, laughing at the same time.

"There's a reason I hate you" he soon entered responding. "You do know I could kick your ass. Right?"

"You've got an unfair advantage." I stated, one eyebrow raised.

I could here hazels sniggering in the background. " I'm blind, graham. Remember?"

"Oh come on. How long are you gonna play the sympathy card for? Bong blind won't save you know, jackass!" He laughed.

I laughed too. Hazel also.

It felt wholesome laughing with them, but at the same time, I felt guilty.

Guilty that Gus wasn't here, and that I was still laughing.

"Graham, I though I told you to stay in you room? Hmm?" Mom interrupted (as usual) entering the room, and placing something on the coffee table in front of me.

Probably cookies and lemonade knowing mom.

She always did it when Gus came over. Now she does it with Hazel too.

"Its okay mom," I intervened. "I asked him to come in."

"To hook up blind guy video games." Hazel enlightened.

"Oh. Okay. But when your finished, straight to your room young man!" She ordered Graham.

I could here the rattling of leads and controllers near the tv stand, where Graham was hooking up the Xbox.

"What did mom set down on the coffee table?" I questioned Hazel as soon as my mother left the room.

"Cat piss and witches eyes." Hazel hysterical laughed.

Still more ruckus from Graham and the xbox.

"Would you mind handling me a witches eye and a glass of the finest car piss in Indianapolis?" I laughed.

"Of course"

Hazel placed a cold, glass cup in my left hand, and a round piece of crumbly food in my left. She grabbed some for herself am I could feel here sitting next to me again rather I gracefully landing on her ass, and messing around with her oxygen tank.

I took a slow sip and a huge bit.

Of course.

Cookies and lemonade.

The same crap we get served at support group.

After Graham was done making xbox ruckus and swearing under his breath, I heard the tv turn on, and the theme tune to my favourite video game- the Prince Of Dawn- and the narrator asking us to identify player ones voice.

Tans I heard graham marching of in to his bedroom, slamming the door in obvious anger at being to to go to his room.

Hah.

"This is player ones sexy sexy voice" Hazel mocked- me- in a husky low voice.

"Identify player two" ordered the computer.

"And this is player two." I laughed, thinking about Hazel.

The computer stated it was "loading" and I could sense Hazel turning towards me and she said,

"Ready to kick some zombie apocalypse butt?"

"Of course, my lady. As long as you lungs can handle it."I replied in a mocking British accent.

"And your blindness doesn't hold you back." She mocked in the same thick accent.

"Let's do this shit" she stated.

And we played for hours. Not grieving.

Not crying.

It was one of those rare moments in the past two months that actually felt...normal.