Stars Around My Scars - Conrad Fisher

22. Pool Thing

I wake up on the beach. There's sand in my hair and my throat is dry. I feel like shit. I get up and walk back to the house. I see Conrad by the pool, setting up a painting thing.

"Hey Con." I say. He looks at me.

"Hey." He says. "Umm, your hair is a little sandy." He says. He chuckles a little.

"Yeah, I kinda fell asleep on the beach." I say. I go sit at the edge of the pool and Conrad sits next to me.

"Listen, um, Mack, I-I really like you." Conrad says. "And you know I do. But with everything going on, I-I just can't do anything else. I don't wanna fuck anything else up." He says, looking down.

"Con, hey, I-I really like you too but you know, I've been dealing with stuff too. And I need you, Conrad. I don't care if you fuck anything up. You can't do anything worse than what's already been done." I say.

"Yes I can, Mack. You know I want you more than almost everything." Conrad says. He stands up. "I'm sorry Mackenzie, I can't do it." He says. He walks inside.

Later that night, I'm about to head up the stairs when I turn the corner and see Susannah sitting on the stairs. I see Conrad start to walk in so I hide around the corner. We haven't spoken since the pool.

Conrad helps Susannah up the stairs and helps her get into bed. My heart breaks for him, seeing him sad and knowing what's happening. He can see her cancer progressing.

When Conrad goes into his room, I go into mine and I lay down. Then I hear a sobbing sound from the room next to mine, Conrad's,

I get up and open the door to his room. "Conrad? You okay?" I ask. "I could hear you crying from my room." I say.

"Mack, I-I'm fine." Conrad says. But I've said that way too much to know that he's not fine.

I walk into his room and close the door behind me. I sit on his bed next to him, our backs against the back of the bed.

"She's not gonna be here soon." Conrad says. "She has a few weeks, at most. Maybe 3 months if she's lucky." He says. He starts crying again. I wrap my arm around his shoulder and run my fingers through his hair.

"She's gonna be okay, Conrad." I say. "You're gonna be okay." I say. He cries and cries almost endlessly. My heart breaks again for him.

Then he starts to calm down. "Thank you, Mack." He says.

"No problem, Con." I say. I go to get up but a strong arm wraps around my waist and pulls me back down on the bed.

"I stayed for you, now you can stay for me." Conrad says, he smirks a little and I relax laying down next to him. He wraps his arms around me.

"Goodnight, Conrad." I say.

"Goodnight, Mackie." Conrad says.