Project Fat Suit

Forty-Two: Shenanigans

"Margaret? She's a total sweetheart," I argued.

Holly just looked at me in disbelief. "Right."

Right when the elevator doors opened, the stupid xylophone ringtone rang from my pocket. I looked at the phone as we walked out of the elevator.

"Kurt, where are you?" I asked as I answered, curious as to why he wasn't answering my phone calls.

I heard a female laughing in the background. "What? Sorry, I'm being distracted."

I rolled my eyes, but repeated. "Where are you?"

"I'm with Sadie," Kurt replied.

"Are you driving?"

"No, why?"

"I just didn't want to tell you something...upsetting if you were driving," I said, struggling to find the right words.

"Rena, what are you talking about?" Kurt asked, dropping his dopey mood. "Are you okay?"

I took a deep breath. I didn't want to face the reality of Liam's condition. "Liam has brain cancer," I said slowly.

"WHAT?!" Kurt exclaimed. "I knew there was something wrong with him. Where are you?"

"Hospital. He's in surgery right now."

"I'm coming," he said before hanging up curtly.

I was going to put my phone away, but when I looked up, Nadia was running up to me with her arms wide open. When she knocked into me, I stumbled and dropped my phone on the ground.

"Rena! Oh my God, thank god you're here. So you got the letter?" she asked me, but before I could answer, she continued to talk. "I might have read it and... and it was so saddd. And Liam... oh God my poor baby brother..."

Nadia's rapid talking got cut off by her sobs.

"Yeah, I got it," I said softly, patting Nadia's back comfortingly.

From where I was standing, I could the waiting room in its entirety. Occupying two chairs in the corner of the room were Liam's parents. They were cuddled up next to each other. Mrs. Nelson had fallen asleep and Mr. Nelson was staring at the ground solemnly.

On the floor next to them were Liam's sisters huddled in a circle. Believe it or not, they were playing Go Fish, but none of them seemed really into it. They were probably trying to distract themselves.

A few other unfamiliar people were in there. Some looked content and completely unbothered. Some looked completely torn as they waiter for their beloveds.

"Trent, I need to talk to you," I heard Holly tell Uranus. "Let's take a walk."

"Rena, you going to be okay?" Uranus asked, shooting me a concerned glance as I stood there awkwardly consoling Nadia.

I gave him a thumbs up and he nodded in acknowledgement before turning he and Holly walked off. Maybe they were finally getting back together.

"Nadia, get off of her. Just because we told you can't cry on us, doesn't mean you can run up to people and start crying on them," Lexi snapped, turning her attention away from the card game.

"I'm upset!" Nadia whipped her head around and barked.

"Don't fight," Sarah instructed.

Nadia turned back around, no longer sobbing. "Can I do your hair?" she asked picking up a piece of my hair.

"Sure," I agreed, not wanting to upset the blonde even further.

"Let's go!" she said and tugged me all the way to where her fellow sisters were.