Rivals 🌈 ✔

9 - Chemistry

"You're quiet today." She covered his hand with her fragile fingers. "Usually you're full of stories after a day like yesterday."

Raine gave her a small smile. "I haven't got much to add to everything Sammy and Sasha already told you."

Rosa had come home a few days ago and would stay there for a few weeks until her next chemo would start. They'd made a schedule to decide who stayed with her, although Raine had practically moved in with her. He could deal better with her sickness than his father and little sister, and he knew it caused Rosa less stress.

"They didn't tell me why you keep checking your phone." Her lips curled into a weak smile and her eyes lit up a bit. "You met a nice girl?"

"Actually I did. You know that Son I was stuck in an elevator with? I saw him yesterday – and his roommate liked me. Sammy knew her too; she does those puppet shows in St. Thomas."

"That's great! And you're waiting for a text from her now?"

"Yeah... I didn't ask for her number."

He actually thought she would've texted him by now. He wondered how Juice felt and if he still believed that he wanted to turn him into a rat. His last words just refused to leave his mind. He hated how the day had ended. He hadn't seen him on the terrain again, and Sammy told him Skye had gone home quite early.

"And, does your date have a name?"

"Juice..." he answered a little distracted.

"Juice?"

He felt his cheeks flush. Did he really say Juice? "No I mean – her name's Skye," he said quickly. "Juice is her roommate."

She had always been an observant girl; this time was no exception. She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Why don't you tell me something about Juice?"

"What? About Juice?" he responded confused.

"You're not smiling, Raine. It's not that girl who's occupying your thoughts."

It was hard to lie to someone who was so ill – besides, he had no reason to lie. It wasn't that much of a big deal anyway. She had been pushing for more serious conversations lately, as if she wanted to turn the ones she loved inside out, before she had to say her last goodbyes to them.

"I hung out with Juice for a couple hours yesterday," he explained. "I don't know what it is – we just get along very well. At least, that's what I was thinking – but suddenly he became all angry, snapping at me that I was trying to turn him into a rat." He shrugged his shoulders. "It bothers me. I thought that we... I dunno, that we were becoming friends. Skye told me he doesn't have a lot of friends which makes him paranoid. She said she would talk to him, but I haven't heard from her since."

"I'm sure she'll text you. Maybe Juice wasn't in the mood to talk yet."

He took in Rosa's face. Her cheekbones were sticking out, her lips weren't as full as they used to be. Her dark curls, she had lost a long time ago. In the beginning, it had been hard to get used to it, but by now it symbolized her persistence, her fight.

"He suggested to organize a fundraiser myself. To raise money for the families of terminally ill patients who live abroad. Like our family. So they could see each other one last time."

Her smile gave him a warm feeling, low in his stomach. "What a beautiful idea."

"Yeah," he said softly. He thought back to the moment Juice had shared his idea; sitting at the table, a hotdog in his hand. The look in his eyes had been so... compassionate it'd made him swallow. His brain had started to process ideas immediately – mainly, he had been looking for things Juice could participate in, too.