Coping With Clarity

Chapter Four

“So I came to see you yesterday.”

Selena tells herself that Henrie probably hadn’t told Demi about her ‘visit’ in order to justify her coming back. But in her head she knows she’ll soon start running out of excuses.

Demi is in her bed. The room is more lit up than Selena has ever been witness to. There is still only two pictures above her headboard; looking closer Selena guesses the first is of Demi and her sister. The other is of Demi holding a small puppy. She looks up from her book when Selena’s voice announces her presence. The girl’s door is never closed.

Demi’s finger marks her page while a smile graces her lips. Even in her greeting, Selena can hear how tired Demi sounds, and looked. Her eyes were dark and her hair was tied in a messy pony, Selena can’t help but marvel over the girl’s pale complexion.

“Becoming a regular thing for you isn’t it?” Demi remarks, a note of amusement hitting Selena’s finely tuned ears. Selena hovers in the doorway.

“I know. Strange right? The only other thing I’m good at turning up to is school-” Selena raised her eyebrows. “- and even that can be hit or miss somedays.”

The smile that meets her is slightly forced and Selena takes a mental guess that ‘school’ wasn’t one of Demi’s ‘happy’ words or places. She shifts her weight onto her other foot, her motion causes Demi to shyly gesture with her chin. She was inviting her in.

Selena wants to take the spotlight off her that seems to shine as she stumbles in. Its Demi’s room. She’s not really anything to her.

“I must have just missed you.” Demi is carefully watching her to make sure she finds her way to the only seat in the room, before she places her book to one side. The spine reads ‘The Pact’. Another detail of Demi’s life that Selena becomes privy to.

“Some guy, Henry or whatever, was here. He told me that you were having treatment.” Selena is speaking seriously. She doesn’t know how to broach it; the reason she came to visit. The reality of hearing chemotherapy was a stark contrast to the ‘stroke’ terminology that inspired a hope of a future. Chemotherapy sounded like a spinning roulette of ‘maybe’s’. 

“Did he now? Did you have to tell him you were a relative to gain that confidential piece of information?” She teased.

It was like Demi had a built in serious-monitor. Or maybe she was just tired of people acting so carefully around her. Selena couldn’t decipher the reasons. But it became easier to talk to Demi when the girl shared her love for playful mocking of people like “Henry”. Selena scoffed and relaxed into the uncomfortable hospital chair; it felt unused.

“No. He was kind of a dork. He practically couldn’t wait to tell me.” She shuddered slightly remembering Henrie’s attempted flirtation, as she fiddled with the necklace Nick had given her. Selena allowed herself to giggle along with Demi. She didn’t notice the grimace with the girl’s action. When the unusual sound ended, Demi rested back on her clean pillows.

“Yeah, it was my last session.” She says with relief. Her eyelids flutter sleepily.

“Seems like your having a lot of ‘lasts’ lately.” Selena remarked curiously. Demi grins with her eyes shut at Selena’s inquiring comment. Last was better than ongoing. She lets out an upbeat sigh.

“Trust me.” Demi props herself up on her pillows to see Selena over the foot of her bed. “I’ve been waiting to stop it for ages. Chemo is hell.”

Selena watched enchanted as Demi pretended to ‘choke’ the imaginary chemotherapy, grinning when the girl won her battle.

“Bad?”