Ⓦhat're you reading?" Her father walked in.
"Nothing, just a book that I found, kind of boring."
"Tori, you know you're more than welcome to leave the room and talk to the other people on this unit."
"I'm well aware of that Dad, I don't want to."
"Tori, please don't raise an attitude with me, I'm just trying to help."
"Help? You've got to be kidding me, I'm dying and you just want to help."
He sat down by the windowsill, "you make this hard Victoria, very hard," he looked over to other side of the room "have you spoken with, or met your roommate?"
"No dad I haven't, listen I'm tired, can you go home?"
"Is that really what you want?"
"Yes."
"Ok, fine."
He stood up and left. Victoria flipped the TV on, Toddlers and Tiaras was on, made her think of the days she was in pageants, or dragged to her idolized sisters dance recitals. Her sister Caroline was now a successful business women in New York. She had a daughter, and was married to a realtor named Oscar.
Caroline rarely talks to any of the family since she gave up the opportunity to dance at ABT. The American Ballet Theatre her junior year, and stopped dancing in general that summer.
A female walked into the room, she looked about her age, she had no hair, she wore a purple Under Armor long sleeve shirt, black leggings, and white boot slippers.
"You're awake." She said smiling.
"Yeah, I am."
"I'm Piper." She said sitting on her bed.
"Victoria." She gave a half smile.
"Nice to meet you." Piper smiled, you could tell she had, had brown hair because it was the color of her eyebrows.
"You should get dressed I can show you around the unit."
Victoria nodded, she got out of bed walking over to the dress grabbing a pair of grey high socks, black leggings, and a baseball tee.
She came out of the bathroom with her hair in a messy bun.
"Cute."
"Thanks." Victoria grinned.
Piper showed Victoria all the units then they got to the lounge. It had an Xbox, foosball table, books, computers.
Piper walked in, "yeah this place is pretty cool isn't it?"
"Yeah it is." Victoria glanced around the room this boy was staring at them.
"Who's that kid?"
"Daniel Myers, he's so cute for a CK."
"A what?"
"Cancer Kid." She laughed a little.
"Come on let's go back to the room." Victoria said turning around.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah just tired from the walking."
They made their way back to the room, her mom was in there pacing back and forth.
"Oh Victoria, there you are." Her mom walked over and squeezed her.
Victoria patted her mom and pulled away, "Mom this is Piper."
"Hi Piper, nice to meet you I'm Kathy, Tori's mom." She smiled wildly.
"Nice to meet you. Hey Tori we have small group soon, we should probably start heading down."
Tori nodded, "Mom I'll see you later okay?"
Kathy kissed her forehead, "call me if you need anything Victoria." She said sternly.
"Ok Mom, bye."
Piper walked Victoria to the 6:30 o'clock support group. Blue chairs were set up in a circle. Piper and Victoria sat down next to each other.
They were the first ones in there slowly people started filtering into the room.
It was now 6:25 and someone looked at the clock, "Alright let's get started," a women with dark hair said.
Tori rose her hand.
"Yes ma'am?"
"Hi, this isn't one of those lets go around tell our names and share our sad cancer stories and connect and bond is it?"
"They don't all have to be sad but yes." The women smiled.
"What do you mean, we're all here because we are dying, we are being monitored and told it's going to get better."
"What's your name?"
"My name? Victoria, well Tori."
"Tori, you have some very bold statements."
She nodded, "I do, and I don't care."
Someone across the room muttered something, it was a girl with purple hair.
"Would you like to say something Margaret?"
"Maggie. It's Maggie. Just Maggie. And yes I would like to say that I think Tori is a snobby bitch, and is judgemental."
Tori stood up, "oh I'm judge mental? You called me a snobby bitch? This is so stupid" she stormed out.
❁❁❁
Ⓞuch," Tori said running into someone. She looked up it was the kid from earlier.
"Wow, watch where you're going." She tried to keep walking.
"What's your problem cupcake?" He asked.
"My name is not cupcake its Victoria, well Tori."
"Is that how you always introduce yourself?" he smiled, his perfect white teeth.
"What do you mean, my name is Tori."
"Yes I know that, but, you introduce yourself as; Victoria, well Tori."
She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "what's it to you?"
"Woah calm down cupcake."
"Tori. Not cupcake, and if you'll excuse me I'm tired."
She pushed herself passed Daniel.
"See you later cupcake." He whispered in her ear as she passed.
Victoria sat on her bed, reaching over and grabbing her phone.
She logged onto PreachIt.
She started to scroll through her feed.
@Torii_ you have cancer?!
Looks like @Torii_ ended up having cancer, not shocking?
Is @Torii_ possibly dead?!
Out of anger she clicked out of the notifications and clicked her profile. She had dropped out of the A-List a high priority, she dropped 25 points on the high ranking list. She clicked to see who replaced it, Lacey, her best friend was now on the top of the list. She tossed her phone across the bed.
Tears started streaming down her face, Tori wanted her life back, she didn't want to spend her days in the hospital feeling alone. Her phone rang it was Lacey, she pressed decline, ignoring her felt better than asking her how she couldn't defend the person she had been friends with for about 10 or more years.
Austin walked into the room, Tori quickly tried to wipe her tears and act happy.
"Hey!" she smiled a little.
"Tori, are you ok?"
"I'm fine," she snapped, "honestly, I swear. I would be so much better if people stopped asking me that."
He sat down next to her, he nodded kissing her forehead, they sat there for awhile just talking, he pulled Tori onto his lap, starting to play with her hair.
'What are you doing?"
"I'm going to braid it for you."
"Austin, you can't braid."
"Says who?"
"Me." she snickered.
"Funny, I beg to differ if you've forgotten I have a ten year old sister."
"Oh yeah, Carletta. How is she?"
"Letta? She's fine. Hows Caro-"
"Don't go there Austin."
"Tori. You're going to have to talk about it sometime."
"I don't Austin."
She stood up, "I think you should go now."
He tried to argue to stay but all he did was get refruted. Tori walked over to the dresser, her mom brought her clothes the night before, she grabbed a pair of sweats to replace with her leggings. She crawled into bed she wasn't feeling well, she played with her braid that Austin did for her.