Surviving Cancer

Tuesday, September 26 Cont'd

Go easy on me, I wrote the song/poem/whatever you want to call it in here. It's not my forte but hopefully it'll do. -DBR

MACI POV

I sat in front of my computer, chatting with my friend Alexis from Florida on Facebook messenger. She was telling me all about how she hooked up with one of our other friends Brian the other day at a party. Brian was still dating Hannah and they had been for like two years. I was waiting for her to continue with her story when my phone went off. I snatched it off the desk beside the keyboard, glancing at the screen to see who it was. I didn't recognize the number but accepted the call anyway completely abandoning Alexis during her crisis.

"Hello." I said hesitantly into the phone.

"Hi, Maci?"

"Yeah..."

"It's Jared."

"Oh hey, what's up?"

"What are you doing?"

"Um..." I spun around on my computer chair, looking around my room. "Chillin' in my room, you?"

"Well, I'm actually, I mean I don't want you to think I'm some creeper, but I'm outside your house."

I dropped my feet to the floor bringing my computer chair to an instant halt. My head spun around to my door as if I'd be able to look through the walls to see him parked outside my house. I shoved myself off the chair, going to the first window I came across that overlooked the driveway.

"Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here." I said, standing by the side of the window and peering out. Sure enough he was parked across the street on the side of the road leaning against his car. "So why are you outside my house?"

"Oh yeah, well, I was wondering if I could talk to you."

"You are talking to me."

"I know but I mean, I don't know not over the phone."

"How did you even know where I lived?"

"I begged Jackie to tell me."

I watched him for a minute, he was staring at his shoes so I couldn't see his face through his mess of blond hair. He ran his hand through his hair, tilting his head back and looking at the sky. He turned around, leaning on the roof of his car with his head down. He looked like he was distressed.

"Hang on, I'll be out in a minute."

I hung up the phone and grabbed a sweatshirt from my room. I slipped my feet into a pair shoes and closed the door to the house quietly behind me.

"Hey." I said as I stepped down the front steps of my house. Jared was already making his way over.

"Hey."

"So what's up?" He froze for a second, looking at me like he had no idea what I was talking about. "You said you wanted to talk..?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, um, well, I know this is going to be sorta strange but, I mean you can say no if you don't want to I totally understand, but I have to go to my cousin's wedding and I sorta need a date. So I was wondering if well maybe you would want to go with me. As friends, totally as friends."

He said it all so fast it took a minute to sink in. I decided to ask just to make sure I had it all right. "Wait, did you just ask me to go to your cousin's wedding?"

"Yeah it's totally okay though if you don't want to." He wouldn't look me in the eye and I could see his cheeks were turning red.

"I'll go."