Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Meeting Avery

Jamie

"She does not seem like the type to want or ask for help, what makes you think I will do anything?" I asked my boss, I was given a new patent to look after or well help her through this. I have heard of her, Avery Mack, I was about 15 when I heard my father talking about a girl who was told to have Metastasis(advanced cancer), she was only 7, they said that with the cancer she was not supposed to live to see the next morning but she did, and ever since then she has been tested by everyone, trying to find out what is the cause of this.

Years later I am about to spend the next year with her , to talk and find out her life, though, she's apparently a hard person to talk to, she turns everyone away who try's to help, I am going to be living with her and her family, only reason I have been asked to help is, her family was told she might die soon.

Cancer is a shit thing, it takes someone away every year, can't stop it from happening, all we can do is try and make their last time here worthwhile. They want me to keep her company, get her out the house. I'm sacred, I don't normally work like this.

"You are the best we have, and the last. No one wants to deal with her, it will be hard but her family wants her to love life-

"She is dying, and most differently knows it, how can she love it when it will end soon?"

"Make her see that even though time is short, something we have to little of, she can do so much, make her last days the best of days."

"I'll try."

"She just needs a friend, someone she can turn to, that girl is strong, never let her forget that."

My boss lost his daughter to cancer, why he wants me to push this girl, is because he never pushed her, he blames himself for her death. I have never seen a man cry, he cried for months after her passing, I don't complain when he asks me to do anything, I feel bad for him.

I get up to go get lunch at the mall, I always have an hour off, I just normally drive around but I needed to eat, as well as study Avery's case.

She has been everywhere for every test you can think of. She looks so skinny in the photos. With the chemo and radiation she has to do, she would regularly lose her hair as well as lose a lot of weight, I felt sorry for her. She must hate her life, I can't see myself living day by day in the house, going no where but the hospital, sleeping, barely eats, loses hair, pills and pills… I don't know how she does it.

"Avery Mack, 19, stage 4 cancer, has had 15 different sponsors in the past 3 years, she is a rude, mean, cocky and sarcastic person. No wonder she doesn't have many friends, how can I work with her? We are going to drive each other mad!" I said to myself, I picked up her photo, staring at it, she wasn't ugly, she's actually really pretty, minus the beanie. It says she wears them a lot. I sigh, "I hope she doesn't bite."

Hours later I am home, packing, and still reading Avery's file, I don't know why I have to live with her it seems to… weird I guess it is just in-case something happens. After packing, I made sure everything was closed and locked, I showered, dried and got into bed, the last night for a year, I don't know what is going to happen but I do know this is not going to be easy.

The next day comes around fast, I think this is the first time I don't want to get out of bed, I am no where near happy about this.

I get up after a few minutes, get ready to meet Avery and her family, grabbing my things, made sure the house is locked, as I walked out I sent my friend a message telling her where the spare key is, my close friend, Maddie, was going to look after my place for the next year, weirdly enough, she just got kicked out of her place she shared with an old friend (She got a boyfriend and needed the next room for… things) I got into my car and drove off

They lived a bit far from my place but they are not to far from most of the things here in town, I wonder if I can get her out? Out of the house is what I mean. I finally get to her house, living in New York means there has to be money somewhere in your family, and I could see they had money,15 West 53rd st, Penthouse,. I felt under dressed as I was walking into the place, my car was sent into the garage as I walked in I did not know who to talk to.

"Excuse me, do you-

"Jamie dear! Oh Thank heavens you are here, Mark, why did you not tell me she was here, I needed to know the moment she arrived, and why are her bags still here?!" I know who this is, its Avery's mother, Mrs. Mack, she was a very popular lawyer in Canada as well as many states here in USA.

"It is fine Mrs. Mack, really I don't mind-

"I'm sorry, I'm just tired, Avery has been sick all week and I have court today, in the next hour so I need to show you to your room fast, then later tonight, my husband and I will talk the rest, OK?"

I nodded, I didn't know what to say, she a busy women and has a sick daughter, I'm not gonna argue. I knew what could be wrong with Avery, the chemo she does is very heavy, it could just be the side-effects.

It didn't take long before we got to the penthouse, it was huge.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"Excuse me?"

"I am so sorry, its just, this is a really beautiful place."

"Thank you, I did I myself. OK I have to get a car, this, will tell you where the rooms and everything is, the room marked A is Avery's, she should be sleeping, just check on her when she wakes, then the room with Q&F, is mine and my husbands room ad then the room marked, J, is yours, the rest are guest rooms, my name is Quinn and my husband is Frank, I will be back late with him, don't worry about ANYTHING, EVERYTHING will be done for you, all YOU need to do is look after Avery and keep and eye on her. OK? See you later." Mrs. Mack said as she left.

I let out a breath, this is something else, I looked at the plan of the place, I think people get lost here, maybe that is why she gave me this, I took my things and went to look for my room, I waked past the guest rooms, the parents and then saw Avery's room, I really thought she has siblings. I look in the room to see her sleeping, her back turned to the door, her brown hair falling down her back as she breathes, I walk to the next room and unpack, there are fresh, everything in the room, I think Mrs. Mack might have done this, she seems sweet. I finished and made a work place for myself, her parents know I am doing a story on her so they provided me with the working space. I walked out to look around.

I actually went back to Avery's room, she was still sleeping but I looked at the room, normal teenager room, posters of movies not bands, movies on the floor with games next to the mountain of books, clothes everywhere and a sick bucket. The room was dim cream due to the blinds being closed, I slowly walk in and see she has too, her own bathroom, there are lots of types of medication, needles, band-aids, you name it. Next to her bed and TV was more, I picked up a few by her TV and read what they were, mostly pain meds. Stuff for flu, headache, stomach, chest, etc., even odd antibiotics. How can she get so much-

"Who are you? "I turn around, resting my hands on the TV stand only to knock something over, I went to pick it up, it was a Stan Lee statue, in his tribute.

"Sorry, I'm-

"Jamie Scott."

"Does everyone in your family do that?"

"Mostly my mom, dad hardly, me, only to be a brat."

"Right. How did you know who I was?"

"I read your fil-

"Really?"

"No, my mom did, I just peaked, why are you in my room?"

"I wanted-

"If you are looking for your room its next to mine-

"I actually found it, I am all unpacked and set in there."

She looked amused.

"Normally I have to show where the room is."

"Well, I'm not like everyone else, how are you feeling?"

"Fine. Like the apartment? Where do you stay?"

"I do and I live over in Carnige Hill,53 E 92nd St."

"I know where that is."

She gets up to open her blinds, I notice how her clothes hang, she is really small for 19,but tall, not more than an inch taller than me. She points over the park to where my place is, leaning against the glass. I walk to her and look, you can't really see it but she is right on where is is. She gives a hard breath, and falls backwards, I caught her before she hit the ground. She looked pale.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just, I get light headed fast, I don't have meat on my bones as you can see, so I cant really stand long and I have been getting sick all week, I get better, just takes a while, this time it is just pissing me off." she said as I helped her to her bed, I sat her down as I sat in front of her, feeling for a temperature, she's warm.

She grabbed my hand.

"What are you-

"I am a nurse as well as a sponsor, I am here to help you ever way I can." she just looked at me, I wonder how many of the past ones said that to her. I moved my hand away, stood up as she continued to look at me. I frown, "Do you need something?"

"I am just wondering how long your gonna stick around is all." I gave her a funny look which must have been funny since she laughed

"I don't plan on leaving very soon, I'm here to help you."

"That. Is what all the others said and well your the 16th one now, I bet my mom has numbers, 17, 18 and 19 ready if you give up." Really!?

"You know, when your file said your a huge pain in the ass and take none of your treatment seriously, I thought it was just put there to scare me off, but now I can see, by not even an hour of interacting with you, you are indeed a huge pain in the ass, no wonder so many applicants turned down your parents and I had to be called in." I think I mad her angry, she got up from her bed, walked over to me, I walked back, my back hit the TV stand as she stood right in front of me, I could smell her perfume, and looked me in the eye

"There are reasons I am the way I am and I don't need another person ,waltzing in here thinking they know what is best for me when they don't know shit! I warn you, I can make you hate it here, mark my words, you'll quite in 2 months."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Lets make it one." She held her hand out to shake, I shock it as she pulled me very close

"You don't stand a chance-

"Honey, you have no idea who. I. Am." I said as I pulled away from her, she smirked walking back to her bed, I took it as my chance to leave her room. I said I was not gonna like this and well, I'm right, not even half a day and I already want to punch her teeth out.

I walk to the kitchen, I get some water for myself and look around. It must be nice living here, maybe since she's alone most of the time, that might be why she is like that. Defensive, I mean. She is closed off to the world, I can see she does not leave the house, but she is well kept, only place I think she really goes is to the hospital and back but other than that, she must order everything she has in that room or her mom buys it, or well her dad. I wonder what he is like, I know that he is a real-estate broker, best in New York, and half of America, he never seemed like a bad person from what I have heard but I heard Mrs. Mack was a real bitch, meanwhile she is really nice, I hope her husband is just as nice.