Photographs (Luke Hemmings)

Chapter 34

It has been a while since christmas; it was now spring of my senior year which meant that it was time for some decisions to be made. Some big decisions.

After a long thinking process, I decided to go to the community college near my house after I graduated. My brain tumor was making my academic performance slowly decline. I had decided there was no need for me to spend 4 years at a university, struggling with advanced school work. I signed up for the basic classes at community college, and plus there was no guarantee I would get through all 4 years anyways. It also saved my family a lot of money. Money we didn't have because my medical bills were through the roof. But, I didn't mind community college because I was still an undecided major.

It was Friday and the school bell finally rang meaning spring break had started. I was in the process of moving into an apartment since I had turned 18 just a few weeks before. My family wasn't too happy about me moving out, but I wasn't going to let the brain tumor stop me from living a normal life the best I could. I had always planned to move out once I turned 18 anyways. I wanted to live alone before my time was gone.

My dad was uneasy about me moving into an apartment alone, so he was happy but still uneasy when I told him Luke and I decided to move in together. Both of our parents didn't necessarily like our idea; we were young and living together, but they understood why I needed to do this for myself. My dad was happy about having someone to make sure I was doing okay, but as a father he wasn't very happy that I was going to be living alone with a boy I had been dating for almost one year.

Luke and I split the cost of the apartment monthly. I had some money already saved up and so did Luke, but our parents decided to help pay for what we needed until we got jobs in a few months once high school was over.

Luke had also decided to go to community college, but after two years he would transfer to a university if he had his career figured out because he was also undecided. I think he also didn't want to go somewhere I wasn't, but he was too stubborn to admit it.

Luke and I got a two bedroom apartment, even though I bet we would only use one of the rooms. What couple is going to move into an apartment and not take advantage of the opportunity they had to cuddle every night? But it made my dad feel better knowing there was two bedrooms.

Luke let out a huff as he placed the last boxes on the ground of our new apartment. Over the past week we had been bringing in boxes and setting up some of the rooms. All we had left to set up was the kitchen and the spare bedroom we wanted to make as an office.

After talking to the doctors and setting things up with Luke's family, we decided to fly to Australia our second, and last, week of break. That gave us one week to get our apartment all set up before we left to visit Luke's family. Luke had been planning to go to Australia, but I wanted to go too. I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity I could get to live my life.My family, and I as well, were nervous about me flying across the globe, but it's what I wanted to do. I wanted to see where Luke grew up before this disease took over. I was 18, and no one could really stop me now.

Luke crashed on the couch, laying half of his body on top of mine and letting out a tired sigh.

"No shoes on our brand new couch Hemmings!" I said scolding him for getting the couch we had just bought dirty. He arched his eyebrow at me before rubbing his shoe on the couch.

"Really?" I asked sitting up with an annoyed tone.

You could barely see his shoe marks, but I was still slightly annoyed. Luke noticed my serious tone before wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my cheek.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled and pouted against my skin.

"Clean it," I said and Luke leaned over wiping off where his feet had been. I chuckled silently because he was such a pushover.