Theera

I walk into physics, feeling a bit light headed. The moment I walk into the classroom, Sam comes up to me.

"Yo, that history test was so easy!" Sam says.

I chuckle and nod. "Actually though man. It was so easy." I reply as Bhoomi puts my binder on the lab table. "Thank you." I say to her.

"You're welcome!" she replies before going to her desk.

I open my computer and pull out my airpods. Yes, I said airpods, not earbuds. My parents bought me airpods over the weekend, because they thought it's easier to handle those than earbuds, which get tangled easily and I agree with them.

"Ooh! I love your airpods case!" Neil says, walking up to me with his computer.

I smile. "Thank you!" I practically squeal. My case is pretty simple, with a sage green background, my name in the middle, and music notes around my name. It's custom, if you haven't guessed by now.

"God, do you never shut the hell up?!" Vij suddenly says a bit too loudly.

I turn to him.

"No." I say.

"You know, I thought putting that note on your desk would get you to shut up. I guess not."

It was him. I have no clue why I'm so surprised. I expected it to be him.

"It was you." I say dumbly as I realize the entire class is staring at us, including Mr. Cillens.

He nods. "Yeah. You know, I signed it 'N' because I thought you would actually listen."

I laugh dryly. "And why would I listen because of the letter 'N'?" I ask him.

"You sure you want the whole class to know?" He asks.

I cross my arms across my chest. "Go for it." I challenge him.

"Because, you like Neil." He says, smirking.

The smile on my face drops along with my arms. I stare at him, tears brimming in my eyes. How does he know?

"Alright, that's enough." Mr. Cillens says, walking up to us. I lower my gaze from Vij and look at the floor, which is blurry due to the tears in my eyes. I can't bring myself to look at Neil, or anyone for that matter. The room is so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. I look up at Mr. Cillens.

"Can I, uh, can I go to the bathroom?" I ask, trying to keep my voice from quivering and the tears from falling.

"Yes, sure." Mr. Cillens replies gently to me before turning and glaring at Vij.

Lowering my head again, I quickly walk out of the classroom. Once I'm in the hallway, I let the tears fall freely. Turning the corner, I sit down and pull my knees to my chest. I can't believe that just happened.

"Theera?" I hear Aditi's voice.

I look up to see her crouched in front of me.

"I-I don't know how he knows." I sob, burying my face in my palms.

"Shh, shh. It's okay." She says, rubbing my shoulder.

All of a sudden, I feel lightheaded. I look up to find my vision blurry. I shake my head, and squint to focus. Aditi's saying something, but it's all fuzzy, like I'm underwater. I soon feel myself slipping away, the last thing I hear is distant, muffled shouting, and I let myself go.

****

Neil

I don't know what to think. She didn't deny it, but she didn't say it's true either. She just ran. But I saw the tears in her eyes. I saw them as clear as day, and I hate them. No one says a word after she leaves.

"I-I'm gonna go after her." Aditi says to Mr. Cillens, who just nods at her while still glaring at Vij. Aditi leaves and Mr. Cillens gestures for Vij to follow him outside.

"I want you all to stay quiet." Mr. Cillens warns us all before closing the door. He was angry, which was a first with him.

Sam walks up to me after Mr. Cillens leaves. Everyone is still unsure of how to process what just happened.

"You okay man?" Sam asks.

I slump down onto the stool, trying to sort through the past five minutes.

"I-I don't know." I say. My voice sounds foreign, distant. I look up at Sam. "She said she didn't feel the same way." I tell him.

"Maybe she didn't then?" Sam tries. "Or, Vij is lying, which wouldn't be a first."

A part of me hopes that Theera likes me, but I know that isn't very likely. If she did like me, she would have said yes to being my girlfriend...right? Unless she isn't ready to date, which she could have just told me.

Mr. Cillens walks into the room alone, Vij nowhere to be found. I assume he went to guidance and will most probably get detention or worst, suspension.

"Okay-" he starts, but is interrupted by frantic knocking. He turns to the door and immediately opens it. "What happened?" he asks the person at the door.

"Theera, she fainted." I hear Aditi's voice.

Mr. Cillens looks at the rest of us.

"Stay put." he orders before running out the room. The moment he leaves, everyone is talking, but I stay quiet, unable to talk, afraid that I might start crying. Luckily, Sam doesn't bother me, and I am allowed to sit in silence until the medical lockdown is called. I start praying the moment the lockdown is called, praying to god that Theera is okay.

****

Theera

I wake up to the beeping of machines and the sharp smell of the hospital. The moment I open my eyes, I see mom, dad, and Sakith. Mom lets out a sob of happiness. Dad and Sakith are crying too.

"Hey, I'm okay." I say. My voice is weak, probably from the crying I did before I passed out. I try not to cry, and somehow manage to hold in the tears.

"Theera, I'm so glad to see you up." Dr. Jenssen says, walking into the room.

"Hey Doctor Jenssen." I greet him with a small smile.

"Well, you gave us all quite a scare, young lady." He says with a smile.

I chuckle. "Gotta keep you on your toes!" I say. "Can't have you slacking off now, can I." He laughs along with me, but his expression becomes serious after a moment.

"Theera, I want you to listen to me carefully, okay?" Dr. Jenssen says.

I immediately know what's about to come, but I nod, trying not to be pessimistic.

"Your tumor isn't reacting to the chemo as it should. It worked out in the beginning, but not anymore. The tumor is growing again. We can try another therapy, maybe a stronger dose of chemo, or radiation therapy, but it might not be safe for your health. I am skeptical about how your body may react to something stronger."

"Wh-what's the other alternative?" I ask.

"Surgery."

Mom lets out a sob.

"What are the chances?" I ask, not looking at Mom, Dad, or Sakith, because I know that the moment I do, I won't be able to keep the straight face I have on right now.

"There are higher chances of the tumor being one-hundred percent removed, but the chances something goes wrong are also pretty high."

"What is the procedure Dr. Jenssen?"

"Short form, we cut open your head and remove the tumor manually. It's quite simple, but as I said, the risks are high."

I stay quiet for a good five minutes.

"When is the earliest we can do the surgery?" I ask, trying to keep my voice from faltering.

"No!" Mom shouts, her voice making my heart hurt. "You are not getting surgery done."

I ignore her, trying to keep my tears at bay.

"Tomorrow."

****

I put my clothes in Mom's arms. Everyone I need is here. Well, everyone but Neil, that is. Saami, Aditi, Nandu, Mom, Dad, Sakith, Bhoomi, even Nikki. I decided to tell Bhoomi about my cancer, especially if I'm about to go into a surgery that might result in me coming out cold and lifeless.

Mom hugs me tightly.

"I love you." I say to her.

She's sobbing, unable to talk. Pulling away, she kisses me on the cheek. I bite the inside of my lip to keep from crying. I need to stay strong. Dad and Sakith join in the hug too.

"Come out well, okay." Dad says.

I nod. "I will, don't worry." I tell him.

"You two are the best parents a girl could ask for." I say to Mom and Dad.

Dad chuckles lightly. "And you are the best daughter." He says before we all hug again.

"You better come back to me." Sakith warns as I turn to him.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna leave you. I can't leave my big brother yet and let him mess something else in life now can I. How would you fare without me?" I say. Sakith laughs and I lean into his ear. "If I don't come out, don't leave Nikki. She's amazing." I whisper to him, choking slightly at the words.

He hugs me tightly. "Don't say that. You will come back baby." He says to me. I pull away and move to Nikki.

"If he does anything stupid, I will join you in killing him, understood?" I say to Nikki.

"Definitely." Nikki smiles.

"Jee, thanks sis." Sakith says, rolling his eyes.

We all laugh. Nikki gives me a tight hug.

"Thank you for being the best girlfriend to him, and an amazing older sister to me." I say to her.

"You're amazing kiddo. You'll be fine, don't worry." She replies with a smile. I nod and return the smile.

I turn to Anand.

"Nandu." I say as he hugs me tightly.

"Come back, yeah?"

"I will, but if I don't, don't let him do anything stupid, yeah?" I say, referring to Sakith.

Sakith can't take grief well, and we all learned that when his pet fish had died. Let's just say that he didn't eat for days on end and was...well...stupid.

"You will come back, okay." Nandu says.

"Thank you. Thank you for being there for me and him." I say. Nandu nods as I pull away and turn to Bhoomi.

"Stay happy for me, yeah?" I say to her.

"Of course bro! But you need to come back, okay."

I nod. "I will, you know me, I ain't gonna leave so soon." I laugh. Bhoomi laughs along with me before giving me a hug.

"Thanks for being there for me." I tell Aditi. "You're an amazing friend."

"Oh, come here." Aditi says, giving me a big hug. Hugs and Aditi don't mix at all. This is the second hug I've gotten from her, and I've known her for 6 years. I hug her back. "You are the best friend I could ask for, but if you leave me here with the bozos of the world, I will hunt you down." Aditi says as we pull away.

I chuckle. "Yes ma'am." I say with a salute.

"And, if you tell anyone about that, I swear, I will kill you."

I laugh. "Lips are zipped."

I turn to Saami, who is crying hard. I bite my bottom lip to keep the tears from spilling over, but I fail. I hug her tightly.

"God, I'm gonna miss you." I say.

"I won't miss you, you won't be going anywhere." Saami says to me. I pull away and look at my best friend.

"I love you." I say.

"I love you too, so you better be out quickly. I can't stay away from you for long."

I chuckle. "I'll try." I say. I hand her my phone. "But, I need you to do something for me."

"Anything."

"If I end up in a coma or something, text Neil and tell him everything. If I-" I choke and pause as I swallow the lump in my throat. "If I d-don't make it, don't say anything to him. He has something with him that will tell him everything, something that will explain it all to him. That's all I need you to do."

"You will make it, and he will be your boyfriend." Saami insists.

"Saami, promise me." I say. "Please."

She nods. "Okay. If you end up in a coma, I will tell him, and I won't contact him if you-" she trails off and I nod in understanding.

"Thank you." I say, giving her another hug. I walk to the gurney and lie down. I take one last look at the people I love, and pray to god that I come back for them.

I'm wheeled into the operation theater and a needle is poked into my arm. I feel myself slipping out, and everything turns black as I close my eyes.

Well, that was intense. I honestly had tears in my eyes when i read thru that chapter. Do you think Theera's gonna make it?

I get the feeling like if she doesn't then I won't either, but do comment on if Theera will make it through her surgery or not.