Butterfly

Eleven

My Mom cried.

The doctors told her to calm down.

I thought that was a little rude.

The doctors are mean.

But me,

I didn't know what to think.

I'm... dying?

--

My mom refused to let Hobi in the next few days.

That made me upset.

What if he's sad?

What if he has new drawings?

So I didn't talk until he came back, but my mom wouldn't leave.

"Is everything okay?"

"Not really."

I heard my mom laugh darkly. Hobi looked at her with a pale face.

"What..."

"Can we just talk for now? I can tell you about that later."

I don't know if it was that I was scared, or that my mom was there that stopped me from telling him.

So he sat on my bed and drew a picture of me, talking about his school-day.

I just listened.

It makes me happy to hear him talk about his day.

Why do I care so much about him?

"Lunch was just as bad as before, but I remembered what you told me. So I just sat and pretended..."

"Pretended what?"

His face turned that red color again.

"I, I pretended you were there, eating lunch with me."

He said that really quietly.

I smiled again.

"I can eat lunch with you every day if you want, Hobi."

I wanted to get closer to him again. To hug him, just something. But the tubes and needles kept me away once again.

"Okay,"

He flipped the back on his sketchbook.

"I'll add that to the list."

"What list?"

"The list of things Hobi and Mina are going to do when Mina gets out."

My mom sniffled across the room.

I didn't know what to say.

"Eat lunch together, go to the park, see the butterflies, try a croissant, see a movie, and more."

He was glowing.

And I'm dying.