A Certain Not-So-Bad Boy

{eighteen}

"Maya!"

I groaned and mumbled something random into my pillow.

"Wake up, didn't you say Carson would be here at noon?"

My eyes opened slightly to look at my clock. It read 11:30. I sat up straight and looked at Amber.

"I'm going to leave..." she said, eyeing me in my disheveled state. "Good luck."

"Bye," I called. I sat up and ran to the bathroom to take a short shower. Once I was done I sped over to my closet and threw on some black leggings and a loose grey sweater. I pulled my white converse onto my feet before starting on my hair. I just brushed it through and pulled it back into a messy ponytail. I decided to skip makeup altogether and just moisturized my face and put on lip balm before grabbing my phone and denim jacket.

It was 11:56 now and I had to get some food in me. "Hey, dad. Did you call Ramona yet?" I listened as I scanned the kitchen, finally choosing a granola bar.

"I did, a couple hours ago. Since it's a long weekend, we decided we would get lunch together." My dad smiled at me. "And it's all thanks to you. What would I do without you?"

I shrugged. "I love you, Dad. I'm glad you and Ramona are going to be alright."

The doorbell rang through the house and I grabbed my phone and my jacket. "See you later."

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To the hospital with Carson." I knew he wouldn't ask questions and he liked Carson, so I was off the hook.

When I opened the front door with a smile, I was met with one as well. Carson was wearing a black shirt with the Adidas logo and some plain grey sweatpants, and he still managed to look amazing. "Hey, you," I greeted.

"Hi, Angel. Ready to go?" he asked, swinging his key ring around his finger.

"Yeah." I stepped outside and put on my denim jacket. The sky was gray and I felt a light drizzle almost like a refreshing mist in the air. "I feel bad, I haven't gone to see Grayson in a while," I admitted when we were in the car.

"Don't, he said he wanted a little time to feel his way through the beginning of his treatment anyway. I guess he didn't want us to see him like that." I looked at his side profile since he was staring at the road ahead. There was a familiar sad smile playing on his lips and the dark bags under his eyes were subtle but still present.

"How are you? Really, I mean," I asked him.

This time he actually smiled. "Angel, are you worried about me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Get over yourself," I scoffed. "But seriously."

He sighed. "Not gonna lie, it's been a little rough. But I can't complain. I mean I have Grayson and Jade. And I... I have you." His eyes were previously glued to the road but he glanced at me for a second. "Right?"

"Of course," I replied. Then I started wondering why he hadn't mentioned his parents. It was probably a sensitive subject, so I brought it up casually. "What are your parents like? I mean I've never met them before. Not that I have to! I mean you've met my dad--"

"You know what?" Carson pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and parked in a spot. "We're here. I guess you've noticed how I'm weird about my parents. Do you want to go somewhere after this so we can talk?"

I just nodded, my eyes wide. I mean, I was sort of taken by surprise. "Sure."

We walked into the looming brick building together and the elderly lady at the front desk seemed to recognize Carson. "Hello sweetie!" she said enthusiastically. "Here for Grayson, I assume? Oh, who is this?" she asked with a smile, finally noticing me.

"She's another friend of mine," Carson said. 

"I'm Maya, it's nice to meet you."

"What a nice young lady," she said to Carson with a wink. "I'm Helen. Well, I won't keep you waiting, go on up."

"Thanks, Helen," Carson said before leading me to the elevators. I pushed the call button and an empty one opened immediately, cueing us to step inside.

Both of us were quiet, and when I looked over at Carson's anxious face I just reached over and took his hand. He looked up at me with a painful smile. "I'm here for you," I reminded him.

"I know you are, Angel." He squeezed my hand and together, we stepped out of the elevator.

As we walked down the tiled hall, our footsteps were the only sounds (other than the pounding of my heart in my ears). We finally reached Grayson's room, and Carson reached for the handle. The door seemed to open in slow motion.

I looked up and gasped at what my eyes met.

Grayson was completely bald.

And he was devouring a container of chocolate pudding, but probably half of it was all over his mouth.

"Hey, guys!"

{a/n}

Well hello! How are you doing? Hopefully you are having a nice day :)

Please leave a comment and vote for this story if you enjoyed this chapter! I love getting feedback from my lovely readers <3

QOTD: Where would you like to live? (It can be a certain city or country, or a landscape that you enjoy like in the mountains/countryside/city)

I love you guys, mwah! xx

-Seagull