Girl [GXG]

Awake

We walk down the street to the small house with a u-haul in front of it. There were some daisies blooming in the garden. We got to the door, and Pop knocks. A few seconds later Olivia opens the door, and makes brief eye-contact with me before turning around, and going to get her father. Mitchell comes to the door, and a large german shepard follows him.  

"Sit Hugo," Mitchell says sternly to the dog. He obeys, and stays sitting as Mitchell and Olivia come out to talk to us.

"Hi, I'm Milo," Dad said. "and this is my partner Owen, and you've already met Delilah"

"Yes I have. Very nice to meet the two of you. This is Olivia. We just moved here from Pittsburgh."

"Here are the snickerdoodles I made for you guys," I said, and hand him the the tub. Olivia took the tub, and tucked it under her arm.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

Dad nudges me. I know what he wants, but I'm feeling reluctant to do it. I don't like a lot of people. A lot of people at school try to be my friend. Somehow they don't pick up on my hints that I don't want them as a friend. I am perfectly content with just having Christopher. 

"My friend Christopher is driving me tomorrow. Do you want us to give you a ride?" I blurt out.

She looks at her father, and he turns to me and says "That would be great. Thank you Delilah."

"Yeah sure."

"Ok. If you give me your number I'll text you when he gets to my house tomorrow."

"Ok, thank you Delilah," she says with a small smile. I hand her my phone, and she types in her number, and hands it back to me. I feel her fingers slightly brush mine. They feel warm, and gentle. I feel my heartbeat start to pick up its pace, and I watch the way her face contorts into a smile when she looks into my eyes.

"Well we better get going, but it was nice to meet you. Maybe you guys could come over for dinner sometime," Dad says as he starts to walk away. 

"That would be great," Mitchell waves. We make our way home, and patches is waiting by the door. I pick him up and tell my dads that I'm going to go finish watching my movie in my room.

"We'll call you down when dinner is ready," Pop tells me as I start to walk upstairs with my chubby cat at my ankles. He keeps squawking at me to tell me that he wants attention. My phone buzzes with a notification from Christopher.

"Yeah that should be fine"

"Good because I already said you would do it," I text back. I grab my computer, and sit back down on my bed pulling up the shining so I can finish watching it for probably the hundredth time. Patches sits next to me purring, and showing me his belly so that I can scratch it. I chuckle at him, and pat him while the movie continues. 

I had gotten to the part where Jack Nicholson was knocking down the door with an axe when Pop called me down for dinner. I pause the movie, and close my computer. I walk downstairs, and sit at the table. Dad brings over a casserole dish with a chicken pot pie in it. We eat dinner somewhat quietly. There is some small talk among the three of us, but we're all avoiding the elephant in the room that goes by the name of cancer. It feels like in a way if we don't acknowledge it it may go away, but it won't just go away. It's going to stay with me until we put me through torture, and it finally decides to leave my body. 

"When are we going to start treatment?" I ask. Dads look at me for a second before Pop responds.

"We were thinking that we would contact the hospital, and ask them if you could get your first one in a month. In the meantime I was thinking that we could find foods to help you along in the process. I haven't done any research yet, but I will, and it will help you heal."

"Okay...yeah that works," I respond."I'll do the dishes tonight," I say as I begin to take plates up to the sink.

"Over my dead body you will," Dad says. "You're going to sleep early so that you'll be ready for your first day back tomorrow." I oblige, but he refuses. I kiss them both goodnight, and walk upstairs to my bedroom. 

I turn on some music, and start to get my books together for the next day.  I have to start off the day with AP Calc AB. For some reason Ms. Haim convinced me that I should take the advanced credit, and for some reason I agreed. At least I get to take ceramics again. I haven't thrown on the wheel since the end of last year, and I miss it a lot. I finish packing my bag, change, and get ready for bed. I sit in bed, and pick up my copy of In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado. I read for about and hour before my eyes start to feel heavy, and I know that it's time to go to sleep. I set my alarm for the morning, and turn off my light. 

I hear the pounding of my heart in my ears as I lay awake in bed reflecting on the day. I think about the hospital, and how sterile it felt. The look Dad's face when the news was given to us. The air in the waiting room was so stuffy, and it smelled like lysol. I think about how I wanted to escape. I wanted to immediately run as fast as I possibly could. To get away form the nurses, and doctors, and that uncomfortably sterile room, but I couldn't. 

Then my thoughts drift to Olivia. I think about the way her long brown hair moved with her like a flowing dress. The way the sunlight bounced off her face, and how her face scrunched up when she squinted. I try to push those thoughts out of my head. I shouldn't be focused on that right now. I should be focused on the leukemia. The fear that is building up in my stomach, and the thought of chemo. I try, but I just can't take my thoughts away from her. Instead of trying to push thoughts away I decide to try to fall asleep. It's not an easy feat. There's a combination of uneasiness, and excitement that is keeping me up. I turn on some music to fall asleep to, and I can feel my body relax as I drift off into a peaceful sleep.