When Life Finally Began

Chapter 16

"Ella, Dustin is here!" My Mom yells up the stairs. I take one last look at the mirror, I didn't feel super model pretty or anything, but I felt happy.

Dustin stared at me as I walked down the stairs. I felt jittery, maybe there was something wrong with me.

"Uh, hey." I say awkwardly. We walk up to each other slowly, like they did in movies. 

"How do you always look so gorgeous?" He asks.

"You were the first to see it," I smile.

"Bye Ella, have fun on your date." My parents were smiling their eyes filled with tears. The words were unspoken; but I knew why my Mom was acting so weird.

She was scared. She didn't want to lose me to cancer. She didn't want to lose me to Dustin. She wanted me to stay with her. To still need her to take care of my cuts and scrapes. 

"Love you Mom," I say, embracing her in a hug. She understood, she was forgiven.

"Could we take a picture of you too? For your Facebook page?" My Mom asks.

"It's okay with me," Dustin smiles, tolerating my Mom's obnoxious picture taking.

"Sure."

They snap a few pictures of us on the front porch, smiling.

"What movie are we seeing?" I ask.

He grins, "The Fault in Our Stars." The movie had come out last month; but I still hadn't gotten the chance to see it.

"I love you." I say. I never understood why people were scared to say love, not saying it didn't make it go away.

"Always," he replies.

The movie theater was crowded with teenagers, as well as old couples. "Oh my gosh, your Hazel," a teenager had shouted at me.

"You are her Gus, you guys are so cute together!" Finished the other girl’s sentence. 

We moved, to a section filled with older people. They didn't seem as interested in our presence. 

I began to cry halfway through the movie. Hearing John Green's word in the film made me feel so much passion for the book. 

I could feel Hazels stress, every day I felt like a grenade that would just go off. 

At the end of the movie, we stayed in our seats and watched the credits. No teens came and disturbed us.

"Now what?" I ask.

"Out to eat." He says firmly.

We walk out, his hands were wrapped around me. As we left I overheard some teens squealing about how they say a couple where the girl had cancer, and the boy didn't. Which transferred to Dustin and Ella.

"Dustin are you kidnapping me?" I say my voice light and airy, although I started to be on edge. We were in the middle of nowhere.

"I wish, however your parents wouldn't allow such a thing if I asked."

"Well where we are going."

"I'll give you hints," he turns on the radio. Fireflies by Owl City started playing.

"Well? What are the hints," I ask tuning out the music.

"I just gave you one." 

The answer came to my head immediately, "We are going to that firefly festival aren't we?" 

"Yup, don't worry your parents know you’re not coming back till tomorrow. They also asked me to take some pictures." Without a doubt my Mom or Dad had attached some sort of camera somewhere.