He smiled over at me, his oxygen machine still the only noise in the room.
We were all in shock, Aaron's mother, my mother, no one had expected him to be this unfortunate. The cancer came back, but he was still here, smiling goofily at me like he had never seen a bad day in his life.
I had never loved anyone like this before.
Though the cancer was slowly weakening him, he had never given up on the things he loved. We still went surfing every Sunday, and painted in his garage when it wasn't scorching hot outside. This was something we could live with, a terrible setback that was thankfully still attainable.
But that's just not how things unraveled-
...
"You alright?" Jack kissed my forehead pulling me closer to his chest.
"Of course," I weakly smiled up at him before watching the small tv screen across the room again. He was onto me in my quiet state.
I just wanted to sleep, for hours on end, and maybe, just maybe, if I was lucky enough, perhaps I'd never wake up.
I couldn't stop thinking of Sam and how he didn't know about my child, including the look on Jack's face when Sam wearily pulled him in for a hug.
He left shortly after, Jack and I being left alone in this suffocating dorm room. He never told me why he came over in the first place, but I was too far gone to even bother asking. He was lying next to me and that's all that mattered, our breathing in perfect sync.
"I hate the silence," He rolled over on his side, facing me.
"What do you mean?" I frown, pushing my face into the pillow beneath me.
"You know what I mean," He pulls the pillow out from under me and jokingly hits me in the butt with it.
"Hey!" I laugh.
"Please tell me," He returns the pillow back to me, looking up at me impatiently.
"I'm fine, Jack. I'm just a little tired." I avoid eye contact with him, watching The Fosters on the television behind him.
"California,"
"Jack," I carefully connect our eyes being sure to portray that nothing was bothering me.
"You drive me fucking insane-" He huffs before I part my chapped lips.
"He didn't know that I was pregnant." I utter, staring at his shirtless torso.
"Bullshit." Jack laughs before realizing that I had been frowning at him.
"Cali- there's no way." He shakes his head.
"You don't know that," I mumble, picking at the silky sheets.
"People were talking, California. There's no way Sam didn't or still doesn't know." Jack props himself up on his elbow.
"Who was talking about it?" I urge, a ringing in my ears beginning to occur.
"Nobody, it doesn't matter."
"Yes it does, Jack. Now tell me, before I call Emily back home and-"
"The basketball team," He exhales, everything around me untimely spinning.
"What were they saying?" I squeak, small tears pooling in my eyes.
"Stop that, why do you do this to yourself?" He scoffs before peeling himself away from me.
He stood on his feet in front of me, towering over me like a tall building.
"You let stupid things get into your head and you fixate on them, to the point where your completely diminished, torn entirely."
