Dark Star

Chapter 22: Secrets

Lola Solemen

"W-what?" I mumbled through the door.

"Lola, open the damn door!" Kris screamed, immediately saying goodbye to whoever had been on the other line before banging on the door again.

I unlocked the door and pulled it open in one swift movement, eyeing her cautiously. "What happened, Kris?" I asked. "Don't... don't tell me she's — "

"Did you know?" She asked in disbelief, her eyes widening with anger.

"What?" I defended myself innocently. "Know what? I was going to say..." I had to force the words out unwillingly. "Did she... pass away?"

"No, Lola." She reassured me quickly. "No, of course not."

Relief flowed through my body in such a wonderful way. It almost felt like those cold, winter nights when you sit by the window and drink really hot chocolate and you feel it warm up your entire body.

That great.

"Okay," I sighed thankfully. "So, then what's the matter with her? Is she sick?"

"She must have told you!" She said more to herself than to me. "She had to have told you."

"Told me what?!"

"C'mon, Lola," She pleaded sadly. "Please tell me she told you."

"Stop being dramatic!" I snapped, clearly annoyed. "What is it? What didn't she tell me?"

"Lola..." She mumbled hesitantly. "Your mom, she...."

And then Kris did something I hadn't seen her do in so long. So long, in fact, that I had completely forgotten what she looked like when she did it those few times.

Kris inhaled a sharp, shaky breath and suddenly broke down into tears.

I grabbed her shoulders instinctively and stared into her eyes with a frightened, panicked expression. I knew that, if it was making Kris cry, it had to be something serious. And I really didn't want it to be serious. I wanted nothing to be serious. Especially not something involving my mother or anyone else I cared about.

You know you really love someone when their tears bring out your own once you see them crying. That's what happened without my control: I broke into tears without even knowing the reason for any of it. That is, until she finally stopped for a moment in order to speak the words that changed everything.

"Your mom..." She said in between sniffs, looking back at me with a powerful, yet miserable, look in her eyes. "She was diagnosed — "

I froze.

" — with lung cancer."

I stopped breathing, a hand clasping my mouth in shock.

She shook her head in the most depressing of ways before adding with a shocked expression of her own: "For the past eight months, Lola. They said that they gave her three months to live, two months ago. We're in the third month. And she wants to talk to you."

Her voice broke on the last word, and so did my heart.

Niall Horan

"I can't do this, Niall." Zayn said, lifting one of his hands up to wave me off. "I just can't."

We — as in Zayn and I — were standing outside of Nandos, under the gloomy sky that seemed to match his mood so well. Surprising, I know, to think that I would be outside of Nandos when the rest of the lads were still inside. But like so many other times before, Zayn needed me. I had to be there for him no matter how many pizzas were cooking about ten feet behind us in the toasty restaurant.