Love You Through This {Chapter Nine: Part 1}

Love You Through This {Chapter Nine: Time's Running Out} It had been months since Fletcher had been diagnosed with cancer. In China's eyes, she supposed he was getting better. Or was he, and she didn't want to realize it? But the bad part was, he was getting weaker day by day. His body was frail and skinny and looking very pale. Doctors had told him he didn't have long left, but always like he was, he put on a good show for China. But today.. Today may be his last. China walked into the ANT Farm and spotted Fletcher. He was sitting on the couch, holding a pencil in his hand but no notepad in his hand. "Fletcher?" she asked. But he just sat there frozen in time. She stared at him. His body looked very white and splotching black. The thought of bruises came into her head, but she knew they were bruises. His stomach looked like it was sucked in all the way, his skin looked like his color was sucked out of him, the bloches of bruises look like he was turning black annd blue. It was hard to look at him like this but, she couldn't change the fate that was chosen. Olive then walked in and stood beside her. "Is he okay?" she questioned as she looked at Fletcher's frail body just sitting there, not moving. "I'm actually not sure. He hasn't moved." she told her other friend standing there. "Are you sure he's breathing?" Olive asked, but they looked close to Fletcher. His chest moved, he was alive and breathing. "Look at his body." China told her friend to look. She did and replied, "I noticed that." she told China. "It's scary. He looks really sick Olive." China said as she looked at her friend. "It's okay China. Everything's okay." she told her worried friend. China sighed, "Fletcher?" she spoke as she walked closer to him. He lifted his head up and smiled very weakly at his friend. "Hey..." he said, taking a long pause after. "How are you...?" he asked his friend and he pushed his pencil into his pocket the best he could. "I'm good, but I don't matter. You matter, how are you?" China asked as Olive walked closer. "I'm fine, a hundred percent perfect." he told China. "Are you sure?" she asked him. He shook his head yes, but it was slowly. China worried, so she pecked a friendly kiss on his cheek and stood up. "Where... you... going?" Fletcher asked. "I'll be back Fletch." she said as she began walking out of the ANT Farm. Olive sat by him. "Fletcher.." Olive said. "I know... I look terrible... But I am dying.. I have no life left in me and actually... I don't have much longer left..," he started but ended because he began coughing hardly. Olive rubbed his back softly while he did. Then he finished, "but I don't know how to tell her.. I don't know how she doesn't see it..." he finished with a cough coming after. All Olive knew to do was rub or pat his back. But all he did was continue to couch. Olive knew he didn't have much longer left. She hated seeing him in pain, but while she loved him, she would rather him be in a better place than here suffering. She knew he was holding on as long as he could, but soon it would all be over. She didn't want it to be though and neither did Fletcher. But to Fletcher he didn't want to leave. He had hope in himself and God that everything would be alright. And while he had faith in himself, he knew everyone else had given up on him. He would never give up. China wiped her tears off in the school bathroom and she stared into the mirror. "Don't cry China, he will be alright. He will be." she whispered to herself. She continued to stare in the mirror. She say her face, looking bright and plumper than Fletcher's. Why couldn't she be the one who was sick? Why can't she take his place? That's the only thing she wanted. She wanted him to be all better and for him not to be so sick. She wants his smile and laugh back, not his cough and weakness. He could barely walk at times and all he did was cough.. But sometimes she thought, was time running out for him? Was she going to lose him soon. The bathroom door then slung open. China looked and saw Lexi. "China?" she said. China wiped her eyes trying to get rid of the tears. "Yeah?" she replied to her. "Are you okay?" she asked, surprisingly concerned. "Why do you care?" she asked, grabbing her purse off the ground and throwing it over her should. "I'm not that heartless you know." she told China. "It's just Fletcher.. I don't want to go into a big story." she told Lexi. "I know how hard it is to lose a friend. You know I lost my friend Bella to cancer. So, all you have to do is pray and he'll get better trust in God that he will keep him alive." Lexi said. China smiled slightly and thought what Lexi said was very encouraging. But then all of the sudden the door to the bathroom flung open again. "China!" a flustered Olive yelled, out of breath. "What? What's wrong?" China said worried. "It's Fletcher! Come quick!" she exclaimed. China's heart than began to break as she took off running down to the ANT Farm with Olive.