Euphoria - E.D.

13

The time Alex and I had together while she was out of the hospital was, unfortunately short lived. We both knew it was coming, and did not want to accept it, although we eventually did when the day came.

I can still remember the night clearly when I dropped her off at home, after spending our day together at the beach.

Our clothes were covered in sand after sitting on the beach all day, the scent of sea salt engulfing the air around us.

As I walked her up to the front door of her house, she held my sweatshirt in her arms, holding it close to her body to keep warm. Crisp winter air was nipping at our noses and goosebumps rose upon our skin since we stood in the cold, but we didn't care. We just wanted to spend every second together until we had to say goodbye, and part ways as I went home, and she prepared to go back to the hospital the next day.

I stood in front of her as the dim porch light shone down upon us, creating just enough light for me to see her face, "I had fun today," I said, smiling.

"Me too. I haven't had such a fun and relaxing day in such a long time," she replied, her dimples becoming prominent as she smiled.

"Remember to keep that smile on your face when you go back to the hospital tomorrow. Keep all the happiness you've built up the past few weeks and let it keep growing."

"I'll try to, for you," she said, "I um- I believe this is yours," she spoke, handing me my blue sweatshirt.

"Keep it. That way you'll always have me when I'm not there," I handed it back to her, "Besides, you look cute in it."

Alex smiled, looking down at the sidewalk as a blush grew upon her cheeks.

"I'm gonna miss going on adventures with you, E," she quietly said.

"Me too. I'll still be here to come visit you though. I promise," I answered, pulling her into a hug.

Her grip on me was tight, her head resting on my chest as I held her in my arms. I placed my hand on her back, rubbing it up and down, never wanting to let go.

Alex loosened her arms grip and looked up, locking her eyes on mine. She smiled, placing her hand on my cheek, and once again, gave me another gentle kiss on my cheek.

I couldn't take it anymore though, I had to do what I'd been wanting to do ever since she gave me a kiss on my face.

"Oh that's it, no more teasing," I said.

"Ethan wh-" she began questioning, but I cut her off.

I held her face in my hands, bringing her lips to mine, her soft pink lips connecting with mine, as I finally kissed her. She immediately returned the kiss, entangling her hands in my hair, as we stood in the cold, under the dim porch light.

I melted at her touch as I kissed her, and really wished for the day to never end. It was as if all my worries blew away in the cold winter wind, leaving Alex and I the only thing that mattered to me. Every ounce of stress, anxiety, and sadness left my body, and all I could think about was her.

I detached our lips, admiring Alex as she stared at me in silence.

She was speechless. And quite frankly, I was speechless as well, shocked by the sudden confidence I had to kiss her.

"I guess I should probably go in now. My parents probably saw your car parked out front," she quietly spoke, looking down at her feet.

"I guess so," I responded, "Goodnight Alex," I said, giving her one last hug.

"Goodnight E. Thank you again for everything," she smiled, "I'll see you soon."

"I'll come visit you as much as I can, just like I always have," I told her as she opened the front door, and I began to walk back to my car. She waved goodbye as she stood in the doorway, and I started my car, and waved goodbye before heading home.

And as I went to bed that night, our entire day kept replaying in my head. I pictured every single thing Alex and I did together, and replayed every conversation I had with her. Every second that passed by was spend doing something special, no time was wasted.

I dreamt of my kiss with Alex, wishing I could relive that moment over and over again.

I had become utterly infatuated with Alex.

Except, just as good things and cheerful days come in life, bad things happen too, sometimes when we least expect it.

Whether it happens to us, or someone we love, bad things are, unfortunately, bound to occur.

~

The day after Alex and I spent our day at the beach, I woke up feeling very...odd.

To say the least, it was something I had not felt in a long time, and it was something that I didn't expected to feel ever again.

It was not a feeling of happiness and romance after my kiss with Alex the night before. No, it was something painful, and scary.

I stretched my arms as I woke up, sun shining through my opened curtains on a Sunday morning. I mentally face palmed my self for not closing my curtains the night before, since I probably could've slept in longer if the sun wasn't shining directly in my face.

As I sat up in bed and swung my legs to the side of my mattress, a sharp pain shot up my leg, stopping me from making anymore movements. When I tried to stand up and stretch, I couldn't, due to the sudden amount of pain I was feeling.

"Ah," I hissed in pain, rubbing the top of my knee.

The cause of my pain was in the back of my mind, but I pushed the thought away, thinking it wouldn't be true.

"Grayson," I called out, knocking on the wall separating our bedrooms. I heard him groan as he got out of bed, probably complaining that I woke him up.

When he opened my bedroom door, he slowly walked in, still half asleep, rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms as he looked at me in confusion.

"What's up? I was having such a good sleep you know. It's Sunday, I'm supposed to sleep in," he yawned, sitting down on my bed.

"M-my leg, it hurts. A lot," I quietly said.

It was like my words were a sudden wake up call for him, as his eyes opened up and he completely sat up, taking in what I just said.

"Your- no. Are you sure you didn't twist your ankle or something yesterday?" He asked, also not wanting to accept what was most likely wrong with me.

I shook my head, "No, Gray, it's..it's my leg," I whispered, my body beginning to shake as I worried.

"I'll go get mom and dad," he quickly said, rushing out of my room.

Everyone in my family knew what it meant if I were to ever experience pain in my leg, and it's something we all hoped would never occur.

Sometimes in life, bright, happy, sunny days can be followed by sad and gloomy days.