Deadly Suprise

“Mom!!!” Cherry said.

Tyler and I tried stifling our giggles as we saw her cheeks turn red with embarrassment.

“Am not even done with school yet and your already talking about marriage and kids”.

“I know, I know and am sorry but I just can’t help it, it just feels like it was yesterday when you were 7 years old whereby you were still being potty trained and you will call on me to help clean you up and you litter and also those times when you do use the……..”

“Mom!!!”

“Oh am sorry…. I got carried away again” she said meekly.

This time I and Tyler couldn’t hold back the laughter any longer we were almost rolling on the floor, the redder Cherry got the more we felt the urge to laugh.

“Go on Mrs. Jeremy, we want to hear more” Cherry said laughing and immediately her eyes lit up like a child whom was just given a birthday present.

“Why don’t I just show you, over there is the family photo album on top shelve” and before Cherry could even retrieve it Tyler had already grabbed it and tossed it to me. The next five minutes was then spent running around the house and dodging Cherry until she finally gave up the chase.

And then we spent another half an hour laughing at Cherry’s baby pics, it was really fun and interesting. There was also some baby videos that was shown to us by her mom about Cherry throwing a tantrum on her birthday she ended up falling face first into her birthday cake that one really got me rolling on the floor laughing. When all this was happening Cherry was sad and embarrassed at first but then she realized we meant no harm and in no time she was sharing the jokes with us. We really did have fun.

“Thanks again for the dinner Mrs. Jeremy” I and Cherry said again as we were taking our leave.

‘You’re welcome, please do come again”

“We sure will” Tyler said

“Mrs. Jeremy, please with your permission I would like to invite Cherry to my house for a whole month, my mom traveled and it feels a bit lonely”.

“No problem dear, I’ll just inform her father when he comes back”

“Okay, thanks again” I said as I and Tyler strolled back home.

“So…………..”

“So……what?”

“Where are we heading?”

“Home”

“What is your opinion about the new students?”

“Creepy”

“What do you mean?”

“There is something about them that is unusually chilly, it makes me have goose pimples all over my body”

“Like what?”

“Their eyes”

“Their eyes?”

“No, I mean there is this cold stare I see in them”

“Or maybe just thinking about what they’re going to be having for supper” he said trying to make light of the topic.

“Jeez Tyler, am serious, I mean the time they walked pass I and Cherry that time, one of them stole a look at me, I tried looking away but it was like something was holding me back, like I was in a trance”

“Or maybe you’re just crushing on them too”

“Tyler!!” I said hitting the back of his head with my palm.

“Ouch…..look am just saying, because I don’t see anything wrong with them besides as a matter of fact I recently spoke to them and they seem really nice” he said rubbing the back of his head.

“You also know me better than that dude”

“I know but I still don’t see anything wrong with them DUDE’’

“Anyways don’t worry about that, goodnight Tyler” I said as we reached the front door of my house.

“Goodnight princess, see you tomorrow”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? It makes me feel like a little girl”

“Oops, my bad princess”

“Ugh” I groaned in annoyance.

Before I could do anything to him he ran down the steps to his home laughing.

“Am going to get you next time dummy” I shouted after him as I opened the door to my house.

“Keep dreaming princess” he said after me as I smiled to myself. Opening the door I was met with silence… I sighed. I had sent all the help home, I don’t really like people being at my beck and call all day, and I was capable of handling myself. I thought about what happened today as I made my way to my room to take a shower before bed. The new students and all, they seemed so closed off, inseparable even. The girl though, what is her problem?

Oh my goodness, taking a shower was just the right thing to do, I feel so good…….what the?….no…no…..my hair…its falling off…wait this can’t be it, please God...Please it can’t be…I watched as huge chunks of my hair went into the drain, I hurriedly rinsed off, getting out of the bathroom I went ahead and sat in front of my dressing mirror. With shaky hands I reached for my hair brush, as I stroked my hair once with it a huge chunk of hair followed. Looking into the mirror I saw I had already begun to cry. This can’t be happening to me. As if a fountain of tears was unlocked tears gushed out and ran down my cheeks, couldn’t even hold them much longer, I cried for every single thing I cared about in this world until I had nothing left to cry for.

I watched as nurses walked about the halls of the hospital, going about their business, with the strong nauseating smell of drugs filling the air. I adjusted myself on the seat, I was so nervous, we came to the hospital to run some checkups. After what happened yesterday, I called my mom. She flew back in this morning. I knew what the test was going to be, we both knew it, but it didn’t stop us from hoping maybe it was nothing.

We heard the doctor come in, I could feel my heart pounding so loudly in my chest.

“Hello Doctor” my mom greeted.

“Good day Mrs. McCain” the doctor replied sitting down behind his desk.

He turned to me.

“How do you feel today Tessy?”

“I’m good” I said pursing my lips.

“Well the results are out for the test, and I’m sorry to say this but your daughter has been diagnosed with leukemia, unfortunately it wasn’t detected on time”.

I heard my mom the sounds of my mom sobbing, I couldn’t feel anything, I couldn’t think, the doctor voice got distant, I could barely hear him. So this is really how it ends? I have been getting tired lately but I brushed it off as school stress but I never thought of this.

“I’m sure she has been getting fatigue…”

“How long?” I asked cutting him off.

“What?”

“How long do I have doctor?”

“Approximately six months”.

My mom completely broke down this time. I just sat there.

“You can’t leave me too, you’ve all I have got”.

I felt so terrible, I know it’s not my fault but I felt terrible. I took hold of her hands and kissed it.

“We are going to be ok” I said with a little squeeze.

“We will be recommending chemotherapy for her….we will fix the days for her hospital appointments, but for now she will be given some drugs she needs to be taking.”

“Alright”

On getting home I sluggishly made my way up the stairs to my room. I checked my phone and saw a message from Tyler and Cherry asking me about my whereabouts.

“Are you ready to have dinner honey?”

“Um”

“I’m cooking”

“Really?”

“Yup”

“Yeah I’m game mom” my mom is hardly at home, but whenever she has time and enters the kitchen her food is always to die for. I texted Cherry and Tyler that I spent some time with my mom and that I will be in school the next day.

“Hey we’ve got 2 free periods, let’s go to the library and finish off that English assignment” Cherry said as she and Tyler joined me while I walked to my locker.

“I’ll meet you guys there, let me drop off my books.

I saw the twins coming my way, the old feeling crept back into my spine, I could feel my chest tighten, as one of them shot me one of that cold stare that freaks the hell out of me and still I couldn’t take my eyes of him, like I was hypnotized.

“Don’t even think about it, they’re both off limits” Chloe said interrupting my thoughts with her minions standing like diva statues behind her.

“What do you want?”

“I want you to stay clear of my territory”

“Your territory? .........boys? ....really? ..... Don’t be stupid Chloe” I said turning my back at her as I unlocked my locker to put away my books then all of a sudden she grabbed my arm and pushed me so hard that I hit the locker with my head. The pain was so much, it took me ten seconds to realize what just happened.

“Stay off my lane!” she continued as so much anger welled up inside me, I just was about retaliating when I felt all my energy draining out, I felt weak, I had no strength, everywhere around me began to spin, I was dizzy. I felt a pair of strong arms wrap itself around me, it whisked me into the air and to my greatest surprise, and it was one of the twins, instead of me meeting the normal cold icy stare, I saw concern and compassion in his eyes, then I slowly drifted away to the unknown.

“Hey sleeping beauty” Tyler said as I opened my eyes.

“You good?” he asked.

‘Yah, what happened?”

“Um, am supposed to be asking you that question, the only thing I know is that Nick was seen carrying you in his arms, he was the one that brought you here to the school clinic”

“Oh” I said, after an hour I was allowed to leave.

“What happened?” Tyler asked, I explained in detail what happened.

“Am sorry”

“Why?”

“It’s all my fault”.

“Don’t feel guilty, it’s not” I said turning to face him as I held both his hands.

“Ok?” I added.

“Yeah”

“So don’t bother, I’ll be fine”

‘Sure’ he said kissing me on my forehead.