My Last Dance [ON HOLD]

Chapter 3

Chase sat facing me, pulling the bag I had failed to notice earlier off of his shoulder. From within the bag, he took two cans of cherry coke, and two little pots of pasta. My favourite. It was the small things like this that made it even harder. I couldn't tell him yet. As selfish as it was, I needed one last normal date with him, before I broke his heart a second time. This wasn't the first time the cancer had come back though. The first time was when I was seven. This was the third, and most likely the final time.

"I've barely had a chance to talk to you in two days," he smiled, "Not properly anyway, since the doctors". He had been looking at our joined hands while he was speaking, but now looked straight into my eyes. "How was it?" Chase didn't look worried. Like the rest of us, this wasn't something he would see coming. Not for a third time.

Not wanting him to ask me about the doctors appointment straight away, I tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. "It was strange, not talking to you. I've missed you." I couldn't look at him. That wasn't what he had asked about and I knew it. "How's the dance going? Do you think it will be ready in time for the show." As the last part rushed out of my mouth, I risked a glance. Chase sighed, knowing I wasn't as clueless as I made out to be, but choosing to ignore it and answer my question. For now anyway.

"Yeah, it's going well, I guess."

"You guess?" He hadn't sounded very convinced.

"You realise this is the first time you haven't been in the show with us in years, right? I gave him a sad smile, a mirror of his own. I nodded.

We sat in silence, begining to eat. After a few minutes, Chase spoke up. "They've changed my partner for the last dance." I searched his eyes, for some reason unknown to me I was smiling.

"You don't sound happy?" He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. My smile grew. He tried again. "They've paired me with Emmie." He smirked,

I tried to hold in my laugh. It wasn't really working that well. Don't get me wrong she's a lovely girl, but she has a history of mood swings. You never know what she's going to do. One moment she's your best friend, the next she's mad at you for no reason. She's taken quite a liking to Chase over the past few months though. Always trying to impress him. "Well your going to have fun aren't you," He looked at me, and we both started laughing.

"She's scary!" He said, looking scared just thinking about it.

"She's not that bad," I replied, still smiling. And most of the time she wasn't. She was a good dancer, and she could be really funny when she wasn't in one of her moods.

"She had a huge go at me the other day because I called her Emily, not Emmie. That's her name! Then she turned around and said," He sat up straight and mimicked her voice, "'Don't worry, let's not fight anymore.' We weren't even fighting! Why are girls so confusing?"

I laughed. "Good luck with that. I'm glad I'm not you." He sighed, taking a sip from his drink. He looked at me. "What's wrong?" I knew he wouldn't let it slide.

"Nothings wrong, what do you mean?" I didn't even convince myself.

"Callie . . ." He said, sensing something was wrong, but confused as to what.

"Okay, okay. I need to tell you something." I glanced around at the park. Nearly everyone had left. "At the doctors the other day, they said . . . There was . . . " I didn't know how to say it. "I . . ." Chase looked worried, but still squeezed my hand. I just had to say it.

"The cancers back." I whispered, a tear falling down my face.

"What? It can't be."

"It is."

"No . . ." He whispered to, begining to cry too.

After what felt like years, Chase suddenly pulled apart. "So when do you start chemo again? That's what their going to treat it with right?" I looked down. "Right Callie?" He put a hand on my shoulder after pushing my fringe behind my ear so I had nothing to hide behind . . .

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"Chase, I'm scared." It was a few days after I had started chemo, after the cancer returning for a second round. I'd had chemo before, but I was little at the time, so I barely remembered it. All I could remember was how much it hurt.

He sat on the bed in front of me, tilting my chin up with his index finger to look at him. "You'll be just fine, your strong, I know you are." He smiled, kissing me quickly, then continuing. "Your a fighter." I smiled sadly. "What if it doesn't work?" He sighed.

"You can't think like that," He tucked my hair behind my ear, then froze, his hand hovering by my ear. A blank expression was present on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked, taking his wrist in my hand and pulling it round in front of me so I could see.

He was holding a few strands of my hair. 

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"They don't think it will work, it's too soon after the last time. I'm tired Chase, I just want it to be over." He stared at me. "But you have to try." I shook my head then pulled him into another hug. My head was against his chest and I could feel his heartbeat. It was relaxing.

I have no idea how long we stayed that way this time. But when we pulled back, it was begining to get dark. We left the park how we had arrived; hand in hand in silence, but things were different this time, and there was nothing we could do to change that.