Cancer

• Caitlin Sloan, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2015

I sat in the doctor’s office and stared at him in disbelief.
He just looked back at me sadly. Pityingly.
“W-what did you say?” I stuttered. He looked grave. He leaned forward and took my hand.
“Stella… You have leukaemia.”
For a second I saw stars. I couldn’t help allowing my body to slump forward a little bit. I looked at him, fighting back tears. “Am I going to die?”
Doctor Keith gave me a small smile. “Not while I’m here,” he said more confidently. “But we have to get you into chemotherapy as soon as possible.”
I thanked him with a small smile and stood with shaking hands to where my mum was waiting. Just wait until she heard the news.
When we got home, my mum – who was by this time hysterical – told my dad about my… what do you call it? An illness? A disease? Either way, it doesn’t matter.
She told him about it and my father immediately sat down, not trusting his legs to do otherwise. He was pale but surprisingly calm as he turned to me and hugged me until I had to squirm free of the bone crushing embrace. Then, both of them were sitting in front of me, discussing chemotherapy and whether there was anything else I wanted to try first. I shook my head.
I didn’t care. The fastest option. The one that causes me least pain.
I didn’t want to die.
But I was still in shock I realised when I began to drift in and out of the conversation, before eventually my parents stood me up and watched me stumble to bed. I woke up to pitch darkness and realised I hadn’t yet checked my phone. I rolled to the side a snatched it off the bedside table.
I had ten text messages. One from each of my friends.
Each was asking me if I was okay, and I grinned to myself almost maniacally as I thought of how I would phrase my question. ‘Yeah guys I’m fine? Just found out I have leukaemia but no probs?’
I eventually settled for a reply before settling back to sleep. Just when I had closed my eyes, my phone exploded. I turned back over and grabbed my phone again. All the texts were full of WHAT’s and OMG’s and things like that. My hearts softened at my friend’s concern and I told them about how I wouldn’t be coming back to school until I had finished my chemotherapy, and by then I would be completely bald. I got no replies and I frowned, hurt. I settled back to sleep anticipating the next week.
I was in the car on my way to school. I was nervous as heck about everyone seeing me like this and I moved my hand to smooth my hair back. Oh. Wait. I don’t have any hair. My scalp was smooth and hairless, my once blond hair disappeared.
I sighed to myself before replacing my beanie and opening the car door to get out. I kissed mum goodbye and moved to the school gates where my friends usually stand. Timidly, I crossed the street and looked about for their familiar faces. But I didn’t see anyone I knew.
Then I heard my name being called.
“Stella! Stella! Over here!!”
I slowly turned around to see my friend’s familiar faces and stopped in my tracks.
There was one difference.
They were all bald.
I was frozen in place, and a sharp twinge went up my nose. My eyes watered and I sobbed before running to them and hugging them all so tightly, I think I cracked their bones.