CHAPTER ONE

2.8K 96 11
                                    

   Five years ago

"Why did you push him down the stairs, Hailey?" My mom questioned with anger evident in her eyes.
My mom had no patience for what she termed 'unruly' behavior, which I personally term 'well-deserved punishment to people that annoy me.' This is one of the reason we never agree, we think way differently.
I rolled my eyes and kept mute as I kept tapping my left foot in impatience. I don't know why my mom is fussing over him, it was just a two step stairs, not like I pushed him down a cliff and he died.

"You will not roll your eyes at me young lady." My mom scolded me.
"Cecilia, let her be. The boy is fine, isn't he? Besides, I know that Leticia isn't rash. She must have had a reason to do what she did." My dad defended me as he tried not to laugh when my mom glared at him for saying such.
"Whether she had a reason or not, what she did was terrible and uncalled for. I think she's becoming a bitter person because of... because of..." Mom stammered unable to complete her sentence, but I already knew what she wanted say.

"Because of my sickness. Come on finish it mom, it's not that hard. It's not like it's a huge secret. It's evident in my appearance." I taunted her angrily.
"Oh Hailey!" Mom gasped, as she attempted to hug me. Any mention of the elephant in the room that is my sickness obviously, makes mom become emotional but I wasn't having it today. I drew back before she could hug me.

"Don't let your sickness define you dear, you are better than your sickness, don't feel like you are worthless because you are worth more than your sickness," I said to mom in anger and she kept mute with tears running down her cheeks so I continued, "That was your pep talk mom, not Dad's, not Carson's, but yours! Now you say I'm becoming bitter. I'm not becoming bitter, I was just merely defending myself. I don't hate anyone neither do I blame anyone for what's happening to me and if I don't blame anyone that this sickness chose me, How can I be bitter about something I don't blame anyone for?" I finished while breathing heavily in anger.

"I didn't mean you are becoming bitter literally dear." Mom weakly tried to defend herself. Even her knew her excuse couldn't hold water.
"You said it mom, meaning you have been thinking or have thought about it. Mom, I never wanted to do chemotherapy. I just wanted to let go and just die. I can't have a normal life that other kids like me have, I can't go to birthday parties for the fear that other kids will see me as hideous and become afraid. I remember when you took me to the park, when you told me to wait for you to purchase our tickets. As I was waiting at the stand, a child probably four or five walked passed me with his mom and the child said, "Look mom, a monster." The mom gasped and apologized for her child's attitude, but I can tell she just did so merely to be polite. I saw it in her eyes, she thought so too, but when you came did you see me crying?" I questioned my mom, she shook her head in reply.

"I didn't even cry that we should go back, and I didn't even tell you what happened until now. You want to know why?" My mom nodded her head in affirmation. If not for the seriousness of the whole situation, I would have laughed 'cause of the role switch. I have taken the role of the mom giving a lecture and mom has taken the role of a child paying apt attention.

"Because somehow your whole motivational speech had gotten to me. Suddenly, I didn't care that I have to be homeschooled while everyone is at school making friends, I didn't care that I had to cut my hair cause of chemotherapy because let's face it I was still going to lose it because of the cancer. I didn't care that for the first few months of the chemotherapy I felt absolutely terrible, rather all that mattered was that I was fighting the cancer for you. When I was told I had cancer, I wanted to drop it all and let go. To me, what was the point of fighting something that had a high chance of resurfacing again but I heard you that day in the hospital. You were in an empty room, praying to God that I live. I felt selfish for thinking that others around me would not be affected by my decision, so I decided to fight for you all. Guess I was wrong about my decision. If I was bitter about it, I would have committed suicide when things were worse than now, and that was during chemotherapy. Now that the doctor has declared me cancer free for now, isn't it too late to be bitter?"

Fighting For Mason(COMPLETED) (✔️)Where stories live. Discover now