Athena knew the basics of life. The growing up part, the marriage, the sad turn and the heart-brake. Joys of laughter, yet the sad one in the corner, it was all basic, until you got given curve-balls that made things multiply something that was so small into something so big. Into drama. She also knew that it brought trouble; it brought things to the table that not even the most prepared people would have known. Then she knew that towards the end, like a book, it finished, and there was no more. Unless there was a sequel (for the ones who believed in after life).
She also knew that her best-friend, who she'd been attached to the hip with from a young age, was dying. Not that it was anything painful; he'd be getting weaker, smaller, and thinner. Within the next couple of months he'll be a book too. He'll be that memory on the shelf. However until like the others, she'd doubt there was a sequel. She knew that when he was gone, he'd go for good.
"Athena, are you okay?" Tommy asked as he held out his hand for her to take.
His pale, frail hand.
"Yeah, you're just not like your usual self, that's all." Athena then mentally slapped herself, to what she just said. Of course he wasn't himself. He was dying. You're never going to be yourself when you're dying.
Tommy laughed it off and said, "How do you expect me to be A?"
"I don't know. I'm sorry, it was a mistake."
Tommy's frown formed. "It's okay; you can say it you know." He then looked at her, while squeezing her hand as tight as possible. "I'm dying. I'm going to go." Then he muttered bitterly, "No backsies..."
"Don't."
"But..."
"...Please?"
"Okay."
"Promise?"
"Cross my heart, and hope to die. Pardon the pun."
Athena smiled at Tommy and let go of his hand as she took a seat by his bed. "God, you're still gorgeous." She bit her lip as she studied his face, his short blonde hair was still intact, brown eyes [duller] but more there than ever before, and cheeks pale, with a tint of red from the heater. He was still the gorgeous Tommy, the quarterback from LakenMount High School.
"You think?" Tommy glanced at Athena, as she looked at every inch of his face, taking in each detail. "I still look the same?"
Athena nodded, "Just thinner."
Tommy smiled then grabbed her hand again, trying to squeeze the life out of it. [He still had his good grip.] "Ah, was I bulky before then?"
"No, " Athena grinned, "Just had a little more muscle. That's all."
Tommy nodded face full off happiness, but it soon turned to grimace in a split second. [He was feeling the pain again.]
"You're not going to press anything, OK? Ath, I'll be okay, just don-ah!"
Athena's fingers automatically went to the red button next to his bed, bringing in an army of nurses and doctors who rushed her out in a heartbeat. The last thing she heard was Tommy's painful coughing, and vomiting trailing after.
His book was coming to a close.
Athena waited for her order as she read another chapter from "Die For Me". It was clearly meant to be a romantic book, but it made her feel melancholy. It wasn't a surprise. The main character's parents die first in a car crash then throughout the book, people are just dying. Literally. Athena didn't even know why she bought it. It was a mile away from romantic. It was just a car crash. A never ending car crash, that kept on replaying itself.
