The Fault In Our Stars: After Augustus

Chapter Eleven

I woke up, and something felt off. I looked at my clock, it was about 10:15. I called for my Mom. She came rushing to my room right away, and sighed in relief when she saw I was okay.

Well, besides the cancer.

"Yes, honey?" she said.

"It's 10:15. What happened to school?" I asked her.

"The doctors recommended that we pull you out of school, for now," she told me.

"Why?" even though I had a pretty good idea as to why I had to stop going to school.

"Phalanxifor is no longer helping your metastasis, Hazel," she softly spoke, "you can collapse from your limited oxygenation at any moment."

"So, I'm going to die soon?" I am almost positive that's true.

"I don't know darling, I don't know."

~~~~~~~~~~

After breakfast, I checked my phone. I still hadn't seen Nicholas' text messages. There were 10 unread messages, and 3 missed calls.

Hazel? You still coming?

Did you decide that I am not worthy of your company?

It's 3:30!

You are most definitely not a punctual person.

Hello?!?!

H

A

Z

E

L

I felt really bad. I knew I was a grenade, but Nicholas is too. And I thought he was going to blow up first.

I called him back, and he answered immediately.

"Hazel Grace Lancaster!" he exclaimed, "I was so worried!"

"Yeah," I softly replied.

"What's the matter?" he asked, concerned. "Scrap that, I'm coming over."

He then ended the call before I could say anything else.

Nicholas Grady arrived within minutes. I heard the doorbell rapidly ring.

"Gosh, who is that?" my Dad asked.

"Sorry, it's Nicholas Grady," I told my Father, "is it okay that I invited him?" although, he actually invited himself.

"Of course," my Dad said, and I answered the door.

"Hazel Grace Lancaster!" Nicholas exclaimed, right when I opened the door.

"Quiet," I told him.

"Hazel Grace Lancaster!" he repeated, this time, in an excited whisper.

I laughed, "just come in."

"I would have anyway."

Nicholas Grady and I talked about ordinary topics for a while, and then I made a random gasp for air.

"Hazel!" Nicholas said, "what was that?"

"Nothing," I lied, trying to laugh it off.

"Oh, I beg to differ," he argued. "That was definitely something."

"Seriously Nicholas, I'm alright."

"Then what was that? Do you need more oxygenation?"

"I SAID, I'M ALRIGHT!" I shouted at him, frustrated. I started struggling to breathe, that scream took a lot out of me.

"Well shit," he said.

I started breathing heavily, I couldn't feel oxygenation; I felt the lack of oxygenation.

"Hazel?" Nicholas asked worriedly. "I knew you weren't alright!"

I then heard Nicholas' words become nothing but faint noises at the back of my mind. It seemed as if everything was slowly slipping away, and my sight disappeared to nothing but darkness.