Lift // Hamliza

• chapter 49 •

• Alexander •

Well, that's one of three people I've forgiven. It feels nice. I'm happy to be back with Eliza and I know she won't cheat again. I'll admit, I do worry about that but I trust her. And she knows I won't take her back if she cheats again.

Three days pass after I've got back together with her and I'm losing hair more and more frequently. I need to forgive the other two people before all of it is gone. That's my goal.

I have a few bald spots now. There's not a ton that's missing but it's definitely thinning and it scares me. It terrifies me. I think a lot about my hair loss when I'm sitting in my bed all day. I can't take this anymore.

I stare at my phone screen until the time displays 3:15pm and school is officially over for the day. I open my contacts and click the one I never thought I would be.

"Thomas, listen, I know this sounds weird but can you please come to the hospital?" I ask as soon as he picks up.

"What the hell Hamilton? What do you want?" He says back, clearly very confused.

"Just please, come to room 1804 on the 7th floor. I need to talk to you." I said. He sighed,  clearly contemplating whether or not he should actually come.

"You know what, fine. I don't know what the hell you're up to or why you want me to meet up with you, at the hospital of all places. Like, who meets up in some random ass hospital room to 'talk'? But I'll be there in 10 minutes." He says. I smile and thank him before hanging up. That was probably the weirdest phone call of my life but knowing he'd come so I could forgive him made me happy.

10 minutes and 38 seconds later (yes, I watched the clock for exact time. I have nothing better to do), Thomas strutted into the room. All his confidence and sassy smirk disappeared when he saw me in the hospital bed.

"Ok, what is going on?" He asked, confusion and concern growing on his face.

"I have stage four brain cancer but I was originally here for excessive blood loss. Did no one tell you anything about this at all?" I explained simply. He shook his head at my question and pulled a chair over to me so he could sit.

"No, no one told me. But your table does seem really upset lately. Anyways... this is definitely not what I was expecting when I got your phone call." He said, still confused. I sighed and told him the whole story I told Eliza about Dr Rosario.

"So wait, you're telling me you want to forgive me?" He asked in shock. I nodded with a small smile growing on my face.

"Yep. And I'm doing it. Thomas Jefferson, everything you've ever done to hurt or insult me or my friends and girlfriend are now forgiven. I need to live in the moment and forgive everyone who needs forgiven, and I hope that this changes you." I said. For a moment, he just sat there in silence.

Then he began to laugh uncontrollably.

And finally, he began to cry. Now it was my turn to be confused.

"Thomas...?" I asked softly, leaning forward to see his hidden face and figure out what was wrong.

"I'm such an asshole!" He said, looking up with tears streaming down his face. Deciding saying nothing would be my best bet, I pretended to be more confused to prompt him to speak more.

"I mean, I mess with you and all your friends for years and then I'm a dick when you ask me to come meet you here and the whole time you had cancer? How could I do that to someone! How could I do that to someone even if they didn't have cancer! I made so many peoples loves a living hell. What have I done?" He exclaimed, becoming more aggravated with himself as he spoke his feelings.

"Listen Thomas, I know it's hard to accept. But this is your chance to become a new person! Stop bullying people and try to make true friends! I'm happy that you've at least realized how badly you were treating people, but from now on it's on the past. I've forgiven you and I know that once you stop messing with people, in time they'll forgive you too." I said. He nodded and wiped his eyes, laughing a little.

"Yeah. And just for the record, I'm sorry. I just...I guess making other people feel bad was how I got away from my problems, like I could push them onto someone else..." He said quietly. I tilted my head at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, um. My dad is, uh, abusive, I guess you could say? He gets drunk and yells and punches me and stuff, kind of like, a lot. It makes me feel so... so weak. So I tried to feel stronger by making other people feel weak. It, um, it doesn't work, at least not for me. I don't know why I kept doing it." He said, wringing his hands and looking away. Hearing his description of his fathers abusiveness reminded me of my own father and his.

"Jefferson?" I asked quietly. He looked up at me.

"I know what that's like." I said simply. His mouth dropped open and he made no effort to close it or even speak. After a moment of dumbfounded staring, he mumbled another apology and, most surprisingly of all, hugged me.

"It really sucks, huh? And with all this... I'm sorry. But anyways, I've gotta go help Jemmy study for a test. And um, are we... friends now?" He said after a few minutes of us discussing our pasts and problems. I nodded.

"Yep. So now, you're forgiven and I've officially adopted you into my friend group. Sit with then at lunch tomorrow, you and James. Get away from your table of douchebags. If someone there gives you a hard time about it, tell them to call me. But we're all really excepting, so I don't think there'll be too much trouble. Have fun studying." I replied. A grin split across his face and he nodded, thanking me again and leaving the room.

I smile to myself as I sit alone once more, thinking back to our conversation. Hopefully everyone accepts him with open arms tomorrow.

Now I have two of my three people forgiven. They were both successful and worth it. But will the third one be? I pondered this thought for a while before feeling tiredness wash over me.

I guess it'll just have to be a problem for later.