Ten Days

Before the Days

"Halley Phee," he said, and he collapsed onto his knees. He took out a black box from his jeans and opened it, revealing a diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"

I was stunned. I leaped in the air screaming; "Yes! Yes! Yes, Jamie!" After a few moments, I calmed down and slipped my finger into the ring, smiling; I was so full of bliss. Jamie wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned in before kissing me on the lips. We gazed into the sunset; a beautiful mixture of orange and yellow, pink and purple. I wanted that moment to last forever...

* * *

The next morning I woke up with my face as red as a tomato. I picked up my phone, and listened to it buzz for at least five minutes. All these notifications were from Jamie. He was going on about our wedding, when it would be, what it would look like... I remembered then. I needed to tell my mother that I was getting married.

Shakily, I rose to my feet and walked towards the kitchen with my hands behind my back. "M-Mom?"

"Yes, sweetie?" she said in the kindest voice.

I showed her the ring, awkwardly smiling. "I'm getting married!" She screamed and hurried towards me in her slippers, before hugging me as if she was going to suffocate me. She looked at me.

"Who is it to?"

"Jamie," I say. My mother begins to cry tears of happiness.

"Oh Halley, you're all grown up now! Where has my little girl gone?"

* * *

I walked to school with a voluminous grin on my face. At the school gates, I was greeted by a short kiss from Jamie, and a bunch of jealous girls talking about me behind my back. I headed to class with my hand entwined around Jamie's.

All through class, I couldn't concentrate. I kept on thinking about the wedding. I started getting panicky. My legs started shaking and I felt the room suddenly become hot. I was sweaty. I looked up, and the room was swimming. It seemed like I was underwater, since the teacher's voice was muffled.

My vision went black...

* * *

I woke up covered in white sheets. The walls were like bathroom ones, built with turquoise tiles. The floor seemed to be made of a scratchy material.

Something made me jump. It was... a monitor. I pressed my hand to my chest. It was beating in sync with the beeping from the monitor. I was... in hospital? Yes, I was.

I heard a sob form the left side of me: it was my mom. She was clinging onto my hand.

"Mom?" I asked in a surprised tone.

"Yes, Halley, listen—"

A loud knock interrupted her from finishing speaking. A man dressed in a lengthy, white lab coat came in holding a clipboard. He put it down on the table and came over to me. He nodded to my mother and she left the room.

"Okay, I know this is a lot to take in, but Halley, you only have ten days to live."

I froze. I couldn't think. I saw that the room was swimming again. Was I in a dream? I was getting married. Ten days. And then I'm dead. This isn't right. I can't...

Ten days to live.