Pretty Boy || Niall Horan

Chapter Twenty-Three

[[trigger warning]]

__________________________

Ashley

"W-What do you mean?" Emily stutters, her lips quivering.

"I only have a little while to live, Em." Venus says, her voice cracking. She pursues her lips, trying to stifle back a sob.

Dean had stormed out of the room and Nathaniel walked in right as Dean walked out. Nathaniel just nods, following Dean out.

"I-I couldn't just tell you guys 'Weyhey today's my l-last day!' And act like n-nothing was wrong." Venus stammers, sniffling and wiping her eyes. "I couldn't bare telling you guys. But, then again, you guys wouldn't give two fucks."

"Yes, we do." Emily stutters. Shaking her head as she constantly wiped under her eyes. I was just too stunned to speak.

"I'm nothing to you, Em. I'm nobody's best friend. Nobody's first choice. I'm your second choice, Emily. You're fine with just Ally." Venus says, looking away from us. She turned to look at the wall with her back facing us.

"That's a lie, Venus, and you know that." Audrey says, choking back a sob. "You've always been my best friend. You were there when nobody was. You've given me more support than my own family and my other friends. I can't live without you, please don't do this."

Audrey just sat down on a chair and curled into a ball, sobbing onto her knees.

"I can't live without you, Ve." Audrey mumbles into her knees, making it sound muffled.

"Yes, you can Audrey. You've lived most of your life without me and you can live the rest of it without me." Venus says, playing with the IV that stuck to her hand.

"Bullshit!" Audrey shouts, picking her head up from her knees. "We both know that's utter bullshit! You did this shit to me, too. Don't you be a hypocrite. I told you the same shit about how you can live without me but you said 'I've grown onto you and became dependent on you for me happiness' so don't bullshit me with my own words!"

"Audrey, it's not like she has a choice." I say, sitting next to her and putting a hand on her back.

"Yes, she does!" Audrey say, storming out of the room. Emily sighs and send me a half-smile as she followed Audrey out.

Harry remained silent. It was like he's mute.

"What does she mean, Venus?" I ask quietly.

"I have stage four lung cancer." Venus says, I saw her body twitch a little as she said it. "Just like my mother.. Just like my phobia.."

"Ven-" I start, but I cut myself off just as she started talking again.

"And I chose to not to get chemotherapy." Venus says, shaking her head. "I couldn't do it. I just had to catch the disease of something I had a huge-ass phobia of and I just.. Just fuck it. Fuck life."

"Are you really going to let this happen?" Harry finally spoke up. "You're just going to drop everything because you're scared?"

"You don't understand, Harry." Venus sobs. "Y-"

"Oh, but I do." Harry cuts her off. "I've known you longer than anybody and I've liked you longer than anybody. I know you better than anybody. I know you're massively afraid of the thought of cancer because you are mentally scarred because your mother died of the same disease. It's a big phobia of yours that you can't get over no matter how many times you say you're getting over."

"Don't be such a bitch, Harry." I say under my breath.

"I'm being the bitch? She's being selfish!" Harry shouts, pointing at Venus who was curled up into a ball. "She's willing to leave everything and everybody just because she's scared! That's fucked up and down right selfi-" I cut him off by slapping him across the face.