Safe & Sound

Chapter 8

2 weeks of dread, and now i'm finally out of the hospital. Only for a few hours, but it's something. 

Tonight is the Stevenson High School Dance. God am I worried. 

Before I leave my hospital room I look at myself in the mirror. I don't look bad. I have on a dark blue dress that goes up to my knees and flats. My sisters come and apply make-up to my face to cover up my unusual paleness. Since I became confined to this hospital I've become so much paler and skinnier than before. I look stunning except for my hair. I've had my head shaved since I was loosing some hair. People usually loose hair during Chemotherapy, but for some reason I'm loosing it now. I cover my bald head with a bandanna, hoping no one will notice. 

I stand in the mirror, staring at my reflection. I tug at my bandanna, trying to cover up the top of my head without covering my face. Mom turns to look at me, then puts her hands on my shoulder. 

"You look beautiful sweetie." She says. 

I frown. Cancer has made me look 5 years older. I'm pale. I'm skin and bones. I have big bags under my eyes. I look exhausted. "Really?"

Mom nods, then looks down at he phone. "It's almost 7. We should head out." 

I follow Mom out of the room and down the stairs. I look out the windows of the hospital. Outside. I haven't been outside for weeks. 

Mom bends down to look at me. "Okay, Macbeth, you know the plan?" She asks.

"Yes." I say. She's been telling it to me since I first told her I was going to the dance. Jennifer is taking me there, and while I'm there, just in case something goes wrong, Jennifer will be in the library, which is down the hall from the gym, which is where the dance is. If something goes wrong, Jennifer will be notified and I'll be rushed to the hospital. If not, then when the dance is over Jennifer and I will take the transit bus back to the hospital. 

Mom kisses me on the top of my head. "Have a great time."

I nod and find Jennifer. "You ready?" She asks me.

"Yeah." I reply weakly, and with that, we set of for school.

I get to the school just before the dance starts. I didn't tell Sandy or Owen that i'm here. I though it would be best if I found them. I remember why I came here. To make the most out of the little time I have left. I need to have fun. 

I walk up to a table at the back of the gym and wait there until the dance starts. I pass by a few classmates and say hi. They all looked pretty shocked when they see me. The make-up and dress. Or the hair. Or the Cancer. I look pretty different from when they last saw me. 

"Mack?" Someone calls from the front of the gym as soon and people start filing in. 

I turn around to see Sandy standing from the entrance of the gym. "Sandy!" I yell, and rush up to meet her.

"Mack you look amazing!" She says, then she looks up to my hair. "Lost your hair?" 

"Yeah." I say. "Good thing I have some bandanna's though."

Sandy nods "What are you doing here? Last time I checked you weren't even aloud out of your hospital room!" 

"Owen came to the hospital. He told me that I should 'Make the most of the little time I have left.' And in books people always go to dances, and I've never been to one. I've never really wanted to be to one, but I think it is something everyone should experience." I explain. "Have you been to a dance before?" 

"Yeah. Only at my old school though. Those ones sucked." Sandy says as we walk to the canteen. "Owen told you to come?" 

"No, he told me not to waste the little time I had left." I say. "I thought a dance would be a nice way to send off my life!"

The smile on Sandy's face flickers. "Your not going to die." She says sadly. 

I look at her dead in the face. "I'm not going to die. I'm going to fight." 

Sandy beams. "Now that's the spirit!"

I smile. "Are you getting anything from the canteen?" 

"I might just get a bag of candy. Wanna split it?"

"Sure!"

We buy the candy and sit at a table and divide it evenly.

"Whats that?" Sandy asks, pointing to a group of people standing in a circle. Around something. "A fight?" 

"Could be." I say, standing up to get a better view. 

Sandy stands up too. "I'm going to see what it is."

We walk to the circle, but aren't able to see the middle. 

"Whats wrong?" I ask someone beside me.

"Fight broke out between Kal and Ben." He says.

"Fighting over what?" Sandy asks.

He sighs "Stupid girl. Elise Snow." 

Blood boils inside of me. I push my way into the circle, until I'm just at the front. Two boys in my class, Ben and Kal are throwing punches at each other. Where are the supervisors? People cheer them on, or throw stuff at them. Sandy comes beside me.

"Should we stop it?" She asks.

"How?"

"I don't know..." 

I look over to the end of the circle to see Elise standing there. I can't tell what look is on her face. It's almost a mix of amusement and saying 'Look! These boys are fighting over me!" I hate it. I hate her. 

Suddenly I see people start bursting into the circle, becoming a part of the fight. 

"We have to stop them!" Sandy calls to me. 

I look around, trying to find a way to stop the fight.

Then someone comes through the crowd and pulls apart the people. Owen. 

"Enough!" He says to the people as he gets them to stop fighting. He try's to stop them, but one person isn't enough. 

"Come on!" I say to Sandy, and I step into the circle. "Stop!" I say as I try to pull someone off of another person. He just keeps punching him. The victim starts to bleep profusely under their eye. "Stop it!" I yell, and finally get him off of the poor person. 

He gets up to look at me, then punches my nose. I fall down and everyone goes silent. Owen grabs the boys arms and try's to drag him away from me. I feel my nose starting to bleed. I'm not going to show him i'm weak. I'm a fighter. 

I slowly get up and walk up to him. 

Then I punch him right in the jaw.