The Golden Couple

Chap. 9

"What do you want me to tell them?" I asked Bryce, as I straightened my hair in his bathroom.

"I don't want you to tell them anything," Bryce answered, irritably.

"That's not possible, and you know that."

He let out a sigh. "Tell them that I was dehydrated."

I peeked out of his bathroom door at him, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

He pulled a pillow over his face. "I hate the idea of telling everybody that I have a brain tumor."

"Then I won't tell them! But I have to tell them something."

"You give me a headache," he groaned.

"Do you really have a headache?"

"A slight one," he admitted. "And I guess just tell them the truth. It's better than trying to come up with a stupid lie."

"You want me to tell the school that you have a brain tumor?" I asked, as I turned off my straightener. I went back into his room, straddling him.

"I guess," he muttered, looking into my eyes. "You look very sexy today."

"Good to know that I didn't look sexy yesterday," I teased, going in for a quick kiss. "I have to go."

"Have fun," he called out, sarcastically.

"Rest," I ordered, flipping off his bedroom light. "I have to go home afterschool, but I'll be over for dinner."

"Yes mom."

I laughed my way out to my car, heading to school. But my carefree attitude faded as I pulled into the school parking lot. I wasn't ready to be bombarded, and I certainly wasn't ready to tell people that Bryce had a brain tumor. Saying it out loud would only make it true, and I didn't want to admit that this nightmare was a reality.

Kylie pulled up next to my car, and she patiently waited for me to get out, watching me with worry-filled eyes.

"I'm okay," I promised, stepping out of my car.

"You look like you're about to puke."

I grabbed my backpack, taking in a deep breath. "I'll be okay."

"Test it out on me," Kylie said, throwing her backpack over her shoulder. "Tell me what Bryce wants you to tell everyone."

"He wants me to tell the truth," I whispered. "And I feel like telling people the truth makes everything that's happened into a reality."

She pulled me into a tight hug. "Whatever's going on you can talk to me about. We'll get through this together."

I pulled away from her, knowing that I needed to tell Kylie what was going on. Not only would she be my test subject, to see if I could really go through with telling people, but she deserved to know. I wiped a lone tear off my cheek, squaring my shoulders. "Bryce has a brain tumor."

She kept her composure, biting her bottom lip. "A brain tumor?" she squeaked.

"We don't know whether it's cancerous or not."

"Oh my God."

I know, and he wants me to tell that to everyone," I said, tears in my eyes. "And how do I do that?"

"With me," she said, looping her arm through mine. "I told you that we're in this together."

Together we walked onto school campus, and I could already hear the buzzing surrounding me.

"Sophie," Clayton said, matching Kylie and I's footsteps. "Talk to me."

"A brain tumor," I said, turning to face Clayton. "Bryce has a brain tumor."