REVISED:The Boy With A Touch Of Cancer (BxB)

1. Introducting The Carter's

"Boys, you better be down here in fifteen minutes, or we're going to be late!" Mom bellowed from downstairs.

"Just a second!" I yelled back, then brushed my teeth for the second time, in an attempt to remove the taste of vomit from my mouth.

I woke up at about four o'clock this morning to throw up, and I've been in here since, hugging the toilet. Originally, I was planning on not going to school today, but now that I feel somewhat okay I decided I should go to school.

When I spit out my toothpaste I noticed that it was a mix of pink and red, when it's normally white. I looked up into the mirror and was horrified to see my top and bottom gums bright red. I slowly ran my tongue over my gums and tasted the metallic taste of blood.

I stood there staring at my mouth for probably a minute straight before I finally snapped out of my stupor and rinsed my mouth out multiple times with water. After that, I took one last look at myself in the mirror.

My hair is a shade of brown-ish blonde that looks more like one or the other based on the lighting I'm standing under, and my skin is a ghostly white. My eyes are chocolate brown (nothing special there), and I'm taller than almost everyone in my family as I'm a little over six feet tall. I also have a pretty casual style that consists mostly of jackets or plaid button-downs over t-shirts, ripped jeans, sneakers, and beanies.

As I headed downstairs I heard Mom yelling, yet again, "Ethan! Andrew! Get your asses down here!" She must mean business because she never calls Drew by his full name unless she's pissed.

I rounded the stairs and walked into the kitchen, a grin tugging at my lips. "Jesus, I'm right here."

Mom looked up from the sandwich she was making, her eyes filled with annoyance. "Took you long enough. Where's your brother?"

I reached around her to grab a banana. "No idea."

I took my banana over to the table, taking a big bite of it as I plopped down in a chair. After eating a few bites, I looked down at the banana in disgust. My stomach rolled and I abandoned my food on the table.

"Kylea Carter, come back here!" Dad yelled.

My baby sister Kylea--or Lea, as everyone calls her--appeared then. She scampered over and hid next to my chair, wearing only a pair of baby-sized stretchy jeans.

I looked up from Lea to Dad, and he stood there with Lea's dress in his hands, exasperation written all over his face. "Lea, seriously?"

I grinned at Dad and leaned over my chair to grab Lea. I hauled her up into my lap, and she instantly burst into a fit of giggles. After I situated Lea in my lap, I sent Dad a pointed look.

Lea noticed that, and she began to wriggle around in protest. "No! Down, Etan! Down!"

"Sit still, Lea. It's not that bad," I teased.

As Lea squirmed in my lap, Dad took his opportunity to put her dress on. "See, sweetheart? You look so pretty in your new dress."

"I hat' it." Lea folded her tiny arms over her chest. She scowled down at her dress indignantly, then she looked up at me with a look of pure betrayal. "You stink," she hissed at me and stuck her tongue out.

I returned the gesture, which made Lea giggle, even though she clearly tried not to. "Oh, don't be so dramatic," I murmured to her and kissed her forehead.

Dad sent me a grateful smile and a helpless look before he went to help Mom in the kitchen. For whatever reason Lea is incredibly stubborn. When she doesn't want to do something she will do everything in her power to get her way. And believe me, she's had quite a few meltdowns in the past over little things that she shouldn't even care about--like now.

I glanced at my abandoned banana on the table, feeling bad for tricking her, and I and tore off a small piece of it. I smiled and held the chunk of banana out to Lea as a peace offering.

She snatched the chunk out of my hand and gave me a wide smile. As Lea chewed her banana I got up and carried her over to her highchair. I set her down and began tearing my half-eaten banana into tiny chunks. I placed them in her food tray with a smile. She grinned widely at me and mumbled around a mouthful of food, "Tank you, Etan"

Translation: "Thank you, Ethan."

I smiled down at her. "Your welcome, little sis." I placed a kiss on her tiny head and went back into the kitchen.

Mom said, "I thought you were eating that." She glanced from Lea to me with a raised brow.

"Uh, I'm not really hungry," I responded lamely.

Mom stared at me skeptically for a few seconds before she shrugged it off and returned to packing lunches.

Thank God...

"Huh, I wonder why you're not hungry," my sixteen-year-old brother Drew drawled. He smirked at me and gave me a pointed look since he knew I was sick this morning.

Mom glanced at Drew curiously. "Why wouldn't he be hungry, Drew?"

"Well, he--"

"I got up earlier and ate a snack," I said, cutting Drew off before he told Mom about my lovely vomit fest this morning.

I sent a scowl at Drew, though it was pointless as he'd already grabbed his lunch bag and plopped down at the table, completely absorbed in his phone.

Mom opened her mouth to say something, but she got cut off by Dad. "We have to go you guys or we'll all be late. Lunch, shoes, and out the door, now."

Saved not by the bell, but by rush hour traffic.

AN: Well, here it is guys! The first chapter of the new and improved TBWATOC! There wasn't much that I changed, just some little errors I fixed, and I revised a bunch of the dialog to make it flow better. I hope you guys enjoy it!

with love-
Jeanne