Selena...
Luke left soon after he came to explain himself and was told my secret. He apologized more than enough times to where it got very annoying. We exchanged numbers before he left, which was new for me, considering I rarely use my phone since I have no friends.
It's now Sunday morning and I get released today. I lay in my bed and I feel a presence by the door. My parents.
"How are you feeling?" My mother asks.
"Fine" I say.
Not that you care
"We were so worried when we got the phone call, You haven't had an emergency incident like this in so long" My father tells me.
Bullshit
"Well, Im alive" I reply. "I want to see Derek"
They look at each other before coming over to my bed to help me up. They help me walk to Derek's room down the hallway. I finally see him in person for the first time since Friday night. He's pretty beat up. Dried blood and bruises on his face.
"Hey" I softly say, he slowly looks up to me.
I sit down on the bed and give a small smile to him.
"How are you feeling?" I ask.
"Pretty shitty, got the shit kicked out of me. But i'm alive" He chuckles.
"So what happened?" I ask.
We both look over to our parents who get the message and leave the room.
"Well I went to find the restrooms, came out and someone grabbed me from behind. Before I knew it I was punched, slapped and kicked around. Then I was here" He explains what he remembers to me.
I feel guilty since the whole reason he was hurt is because of me and my stupid cancer. My bruises and bloody nose. The far from normal life I have.
"Did they find out who did it?" He questions.
Oh god. Do I tell him it's the guys who pranked me for so long, but then tried to save me from abuse they thought was going on? But Luke and I just started over. I don't want to say the wrong thing. I don't want more drama then there already is. I don't want anyone getting more hurt because of me.
"Um not yet, I'll let you know if they do though" I lie.
He nods and a nurse walks into the room, holding a plastic cup of water and two pills.
"Hello Derek, it's time for your pain medication" She smiles and hands him the pills.
He takes them and she leaves the room.
"Well I get released today, You should get some rest" I tell him.
I give him a hug, making sure not to squeeze him too hard. Not like I have the energy to do so.
"I'll visit you tomorrow after school" I tell him.
"Alright, see you tomorrow little sis."
I give him one last hug before slowly standing up and trying to keep my balance. I walk to the door and he speaks once more.
"And Selena"
"Yeah?"
"Stay safe please"
I nod and continue to make my why back to my room.
Thirty minutes go by and my parents push me out the hospital in a wheelchair. They help me into the car and we don't speak as we head home.
We reach home and I'm helped upstairs and given pain medication. It's not long before I hear the front door open and shut. Of course they would leave me here alone.
Since they've left and won't crowd me, I begin to sit up. Moving slowly out of my bed, using all the strength I have. My body feels so heavy as I make my way downstairs. I walk to the couch and lay down, turning on the television. I feel my phone buzz and open to a message from Luke. Well that was quick, I didn't think he would bother to message me.
*How are you doing today?*
I read. Some reason I feel a bit awkward. I never really have anyone to message. Something new I guess.
*Okay I guess, got released from the hospital earlier*
He replies back instantly.
*This may sound weird, but may I drop by? I want to give you something*
I feel a bit nervous considering nobody is here if something goes wrong. But I tell him yes and send him my address.
Minutes later there's a knock at the door. As I stand up, my vision becomes blurry. I sit back down.
"C-Come in!"
The door opens and the tall blonde boy walks in. I look down at the ground and wait for my vision to return to normal.
"Are you okay?" He asks walking over.
"Yeah just my vision sometimes messes up like this" I tell him.
My eyes correct themselves and I look back up to him. He carries a small stuffed penguin and a few roses.
"I'm not good with apologizing and so I got stuff that I think girls like" He says and hands me the items.
A small smile appears onto my face.
"Thank you, you didn't have to though" I say.
I place the penguin on the couch and begin to stand from my spot.
"Do you need help?" He seems worried.
"No, I have to regain my strength" I reply as I make my way to the kitchen.
He follows me and watches me as if i'm a child. I grab a glass vase under the sink and fill it with water, placing the flowers in them.
"Are you going to be coming back to school?" He asks.
"Of course, Why wouldn't I?"
"Just wondering" He puts his head down.
"Did you tell your friends about me?" I question.
He shakes his head.
"It's not my right to"
I nod and walk back to the living room. He sits next to me on the couch. An awkward silence between us. I'm not sure what to do or say. I never really had friends, especially guy friends.
"So do you watch Vampire Diaries?" God I'm so awkward.
"What's that?"
"Oh you'll love it" I smile.
___
"So vervain, it's a real thing?" He asks.
"Yes, It's like an herb? or a flower?"
He mumbles something under his breath. I look at him with a questioning look.
"I just don't understand how a vampire, who can live forever and heal quickly and get his neck cracked, is scared of a flower"
I roll my eyes and laugh slightly.
"It's just a show Luke"
For a moment I almost forget about everything that Luke has done to me in the past year. I can't hold something against someone for that long. I try to be a good person.
Luke's phone buzzes and he looks down. He stands up.
"Sorry I've got to go, The lads are looking for me" He tells me.
"Oh okay, Well see you tomorrow then"
He nods and gives me a small smile before leaving. And once again I'm alone in the house. So empty. It felt nice to actually have someone here. To have a friend.
I turn the tv off and lay down on the couch. Holding the penguin Luke left for me. I soon drift off into a peaceful sleep, with the stuff animal. Who is now the only friend I have.
Luke...
I felt bad when I saw Selena's disappointed face. I genuinely enjoyed hanging out with her. She isn't as bad as I thought. The lads were looking for me, I had forgotten about band practice today. They seem pretty upset with me.
I arrive to Michaels house and I still don't have an excuse for why I'm late. I'm not sure how to tell them about Selena. It's not like I'm only being friends with her because of her condition. That's slightly part of it, Otherwise none of this would've happened. I really do want to get to know her though. As a person, I want to be friends with her.
All eyes are on me as I reach Michaels basement.
"Where the hell were you?" Michael asks irritated.
"Yeah, you're never late for practice" Ashton says.
"I was just out" I say bluntly. "I'm here now so let's get started"
I go to grab my guitar and Michael grabs it as well.
"You never hide from us, What's going on?"
I shake my head. I'm not going to tell them about Selena's illness. It isn't right to. Even though I'm friends with her now because I found out about her illness, I want them to friend her because of the type of person she is. I'm determined to make things better with her.
"It's nothing, I was just on a walk and lost track of time" I lie.
"Whatever Luke, We're gonna figure it out though" He says.
"Can you guys stop bickering so we can start" Calum groans.
I nod and pull the guitar from Michaels hands. We get everything together and begin.
___
Right after practice I leave Michaels house as quickly as possible. I begin to walk home and pull my phone out and go to my messages, sending one to Selena.
*Sorry about having to leave earlier*
A few minutes go by and she replies.
*Its alright, I needed rest anyways. What was it though?*
Nobody really knows about our band. We're not that popular with the music. We try to get gigs, but we've only gotten a few small ones.
*Band practice*
I finally reach home and my eyes are still glued to my phone screen.
*Oh that's interesting, I didn't know you had a band*
We talk for the rest of the night about music and art. I tell her about our attempts to get big with the band and surprisingly she encourages us. She's so nice even with us being annoying and rude. Guess we shouldn't judge someone by how they look and act. Not knowing that they may become someone very important to us.
With the day becoming night we stop texting around eleven at night. I let her go to get rest and I fall asleep with a smile on my face.
___
Published June 18, 2018
Kind of boring, but they hung out together. Not as dramatic as the original.
Word Count: 1713