Ice Cream

"What I'm trying to say... is..." I wipe my nose with my shakey hands, ever so slowly. "Good--"

"Don't worry, Lelani. When you get out of here we can go back to getting ice cream every weekend."

I shake my head. The monitor of my heartbeat started to slow its pace, but of course, she doesn't notice.

"Cassie listen to me," I try, but she won't.

"Every weekend. I promise. K?" Cassie says, that smile still rolling. "I'll even let you invite your boyfriend, Liam."

I almost laugh, but stop myself, because I know it would hurt. Cassie kept ratting on about ice cream, but I needed to say what I had to say. My time was almost up.

"You can get chocolate, and I'll get strawberry, and everything will be perfect again," Cassie said, the tears starting to form in her eyes.

"No, Cassie. You know it won't be perfect again."

“You’re wrong! It will! You just not believing!” Cassie starts to get angry, and my soul hurts for her. I had tried believing, for her, but I knew it wasn’t going to work out.

“I tried," I say.

“You’re not trying hard enough.”

“Cassie—” I say, but immediately she interrupts.

“Don’t Cassie me,” she snaps.

I look deep into her blue-green eyes. She’s mad at me, I know it, but deep inside I know she knows too. She can’t be mad at me, it’s unfair.

Cassie stares daggers at me, so I look around the hospital. The baby blue walls, the white curtains, the medical supplies, I hate it all. 

“Did you see Liam?” Cassie finally asks me.

“Yes.”

“Why did you choose to see me last?” Cassie asks, and I hesitate to answer.

“Um…” is all I can manage, because I know if I say what’s on my mind, she’ll be infuriated.

“What?”

“You're the last person I want to see before I die,” is what I say, and as I predicted, she gets angry.

“WHAT!?” she shouts, and the noise affects my sick body so I groan. Cassie notices and gets soft. “I’m sorry, Lelani,” she says.

“You know it’s true.”

A single tear rolls down her soft, rosy cheek. She does know.

"I have to say goodbye--"

"NO!"

The sudden shout startles me, but I couldn't jump, because of the soft fabric covering me as I lay on this bed. Cassie's tears start pouring, and the thunderstorm within finally revealed itself.

"I'm not ready--" a gulp. "For you to--" another gulp. "Go!" she buries her face into the palms of her hands and bawls. "I'm not ready to go to the park by myself. I'm not ready to get that chocolate ice cream alone. I'm not ready to sit on my couch, watching a sappy romance, without you reaching to get the tissues for me. I'm just not ready."

Cassie's crying had an effect on me. "You knew the consequence of being my friend when I told you I had--"

"I know. I knew it was a bad idea, with you having cancer," she says.

I reach for her hand and hold it as tight as I can. Cassie finally looks at me, and I can see the mascara on her face starting to wash off.

"It was all worth it. Every single bit of it," she says, and I can no longer stay strong. Tears stream down my face as I blink, and each time I do, I can see all our past memories.

There is silence for a second, nothing but the beeps and boops of the computers and hospital technology around me.

"Remember how we met?" Cassie asks.

I nod ever so slightly.

"I could never forget," I reply, my tone of voice becoming softer. It is getting harder to breathe.

"Neither could I. It was June 17th--"

"2016. We were twelve," I finished her sentence, and we share a smile.

"My parents had just told me that they were getting divorced. I was so upset..." Cassie says, her eyes wandering into the distance.

"So you went to the park."

She nods. "I thought life would never be the same again. I was so disappointed, I didn't want my life to change," Cassie sniffs loudly. "So I sat near the pond, on that big rock everyone calls a bench and sobbed there. It had been an hour before you showed up. Or around that, I'm not sure. "

I cough, and this worries Cassie slightly. But I give her a slight nod, and she continues.

"You came up to me and said, "what's wrong?" but I didn't reply. So you disappeared. I thought you were gone, but five minutes later you came back with--"

"Two cones of ice cream. One chocolate, and one strawberry. I had only guessed what you liked," I said, smiling from ear to ear.

Beep, beep, beep!

It was the heart monitor. My heartbeat was slowly dying, only small thumps here and there, and I can feel myself dying. Soon a nurse comes into the room, sees the monitor, and rushes to go get the doctor. Cassie continued.

"Then you said "like ice cream?" and handed me the strawberry. You were so kind, Lelani, so I took it because you bought it just for me. Then I told you everything, because I trusted you, even if you were a complete stranger. And I'll never forget what you said."

We both repeat the words together, like a melody. "You're right. Things will change. But even if change is scary sometimes, you oughta' remember, the one thing that will never change is the love people have for you."

Cassie was crying again, and I was too. Suddenly the doctor rushed in, along with five other nurses, and I knew this is my last chance. The beeping intensified and Cassie looks around with nervous eyes at all the nurses and doctors.

"Remember, Cassie," I look right into her eyes. "Things will change. But even if change is scary sometimes, the one thing that will never change is the love I have for you."

And with that, Cassie nods.

"I love you," she says to me.

I smile one last time, Cassie looking down on me, my heart filled with love and memories, then the world goes black.

Quick Note:

I hope you enjoyed this short, sad story. I want you to know that I'm no professional or high schooler, and this is my first short story I ever entered for a contest. Thanks so much for reading!