Picture of Zachary (Zach) Pearce
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"You look like you enjoyed today." Noah says amused. I had been grinning like an idiot since that roller coaster ride. I nod quickly as I adjust the side bag on my shoulder. We played a lot of other stuff, like the Ferris Wheel and some other games. I kept thanking the three of them all the time as Noah just scoffed.

"Hey, what's the time?" Zach asks. I take out my phone and check, 3:20 pm. What did I possibly forget? My medications! I open my bag and take out the bag with the time written on it. I look at Noah with shyness.

"Do you possibly have any water with you?" I say.

Noah shakes his head but thinks for a bit before turning around.

"Aiden! Get water, okay?" He says. A 'yes' was shouted and then Zach and Aiden come rushing at us, carrying a few water bottles. I take one when they reach us and smile gratefully at them before opening the pill bottle and taking one in my hand before swallowing it with a chug of water. Noah looks at me curiously.

"What are those pills for?" he asks as he eyes me, putting the bottle back in my bag. I look at him with raised eyebrows. God, what should I tell him?

"T-they are, um, they are f-for m-my, ugh, migraines, yeah, I have these terrible migraines which need these prescription pills, for them to subside?" I say, ending it like a question.

Smooth, real smooth, Alexa.

"Okay?" Zach says, clearly not believing what I just said.

"Well, let's get going!" I say, trying to change the subject. Noah looks at me suspiciously before nodding his head and completes strolling down the park, heading to the exit.

"You know, Lex, you're one cool chick!" Zach says, putting his arm around my shoulder. "You remind me of the old days." He says with a sigh. He relaxes his arm around my bone-y shoulders as I laugh a bit. He looks at me with the corner of his eye as his smile falters a bit, but he covers it up quickly as Aiden comes from my other side and nods.

"You are amazing, too, I had so much fun today." I say as we start to head to the exit. The sun was starting to set a bit so the sky was like an orange flame. It was a view as we were on top of a cliff and there were forests in the view. It was breathtaking. I stare at it as the boys complete laughing with each other. With the corner of my eye, I see them all approaching me; Zach puts his arm around me as we stare at the view.

"Nice, isn't it?" he says. I nod as I continue to stare at it.

"It's beautiful." I smile as I continue looking at it. I smile at the three of them before we start walking to the vehicles; which were Noah's motorcycle and a Mercedes Benz brand new, silver car. Aiden's car.

"Thanks guys for today." I say as we walk. Zach groans.

"For the millionth time, it was nothing, and you're cool, and you'll give us money." He says, I laugh a bit as he joins me. Noah shakes his head a bit in amusement as Aiden smiles at us.

I have a feeling me and Zach will be great friends. Just like the old days.

As we reach the motorcycle, Zach hands me his phone.

"Put your number in and save it as 'Lexi'" he says. I smile a bit and put in my phone number and saving it as 'Lexi' as he told me. I get on the motorcycle after saying farewells to Zach and Aiden.

After another eventual motorcycle ride which was full of me giggling and Noah laughing at me. I step off the motorcycle smiling at him.

"Than-" I was about to say before I was cut off by Noah.

"No need, Sunshine. I'll call you later to inform you about our next plans." He says with a smile. I smile back a bit and nod.

"Later, then." I say, waving a bit. He waves back as he smiles at me. I walk down the driveway and reach the door and open it, I turn around and see Noah waving at me goofily, I wave back and close the door as I hear his motorcycle move away. As I step inside, I sigh as I feel a headache reaching me. I reach my room and decide to stay in my clothes. I put my meds on the side table beside my bed, taking out my phone as well. My phone rings and I look at the I.D seeing it was an unknown number. I answer it weirdly.

"Hello?" I say as I lay on my bed, the headache coming to me at full force.

"Lexi!" I hear Zach's voice full of enthusiasm on the other end of line, I smile lightly at his voice.

"Zach, hey, what's up?" I say, taking out my water bottle and the pain killers, chugging some water with the pill. I lay back on the bed, begging God those painkillers will work quickly.

"I want to ask you something, Alexa." He says. I hum as an answer.

"Which color would be better on me, grey or green?" He says. My eyebrows furrow in confusion at his question.

"Grey, I guess?" I say. "Why?" I ask.

"I am changing my hair color, you're right, grey would suit me better than green, thanks, Lex." He says, being his enthusiastic self.

"Wait- what?" I say. "You crazy, Zach?" I say, laughing a bit.

"Not even the slightest. I'll take the grey." He says, the last sentence to someone who wasn't me.

"Now, I really did call you because pf something really important." He says in a serious voice.

"What?" I say, feeling the painkillers starting to work.

"What is wrong?" He says. I furrow my eyebrows again, readjusting my iPhone over my ear.

"What's your point?" I say.

"My point is, that I have always noticed you at school, A: you've lost weight like hell, Lexi, when I put my arm around your shoulders, I felt the bones showing and poking my arm, and it was clearly obvious when you took meds as well. And B: what are those meds for? I know you don't have migraines, so, be honest with me. What the hell is going on?" He says. My eyes widen, he really does take notice of small things.

Stupid, Alexa!

I bite my lip, not knowing how to respond.

"I already told you," I clear my throat "They're usual migraines, not a big deal, yeah?" I say with a light laugh in the end.

"Like hell I would believe that, what's wrong, Lex? Tell me, don't worry I won't tell anyone. Come on, we're neighbours and we were bestfreinds in middle school. You can tell me anything." He says assuringly. I sigh.

Zac and I have been neighbours for God-knows-how-long, we were bestfriends when we were young but high school came in and all that changed. I sigh again, he'll know eventually, why tell him now?

"Zac, it's no-" he cut me off.

"Don't say it's nothing, or I swear I'll ask Zoë." He says. I can't leave that mission to Zoë, she'll start crying and she'll start hyperventilating and all, I won't cause her that.

"Well, if you'd really like to know, I can't tell you through the phone." I choke out, tears on the verge of falling out of my eyes.

"Oh, well okay, I'll meet you at your backyard in 15? I already postponed my hair dye appointment." He says with a laugh, I laugh as well but it comes out as a pained one. He hangs up and I stare at the ceiling.

Why did he have to be so observant over every single detail?

I groan as I get up and go to the kitchen, fetching myself a bottle of orange juice. Just as I was about to open it, I hear a knock on the glass door which leads to the backyard. I go to look at it and see it is Zach, standing there grinning like an idiot, his lipring shining with the sunset light. I smile a bit as I go and open the door with a bit effort.

"Hey." He says.

"Hi." I say with a smile, taling a sip out of my juice. "How did you come in?" I say.

"Jumped over the fence of my yard to your yard, not a big deal." He says. I hum for an answer.

"Would you like to come in?" I say. He shakes his head.

"Let's stay outside, lay on the grass as we used to." He says. I nod and close my juice bottle before putting it on the side table beside the couch before we get out. I sigh as I sit on the grass then laying on it, enjoying the coolness it provided. He lays down beside me.

"So, what's wrong?" He asks as he turns his head towards me. I sigh.

"I-I... I, well, you could say that I, am, um, not well?" I say. He furrows his eyebrows.

"What?" He asks, confusion evident on his face.

"Well, I am sick." I say, looking away from his gaze.

"Well, sick like you got a cold?" He asks hopefully. I sigh and shake my head.

"I have cancer, Zach." I say as my voice gets strained as tears fall out of my eyes. He sits up quickly and looks at me weirdly.

"What?" He says yet again.

"Stage 4 Leukemia, the symptoms showed late." I say, following it came a sob out of my mouth as I sit up as well and put my head in my hands.

"No, you've got to be kidding me, right? Please tell me you are, Lexi." He begs. I shake my head as his tear filled eyes meet mine. He starts crying a bit as he rocks back and forth. I try to soothe him but it was no avail.

"No, no, no, no, please don't leave me, Lexi, I am sorry that I left you in middle school and all but please don't leave me, I am not ready to lose you again after finally talking to you again. I was stupid and an idiot and all that I sacrificed my best friend for popularity. I am an ass, but please don't leave me now." He says. I cry even harder as I pull him into a tight hug as he hugs me back so tightly.

"Shh, it'll be okay, don't worry about a thing." I say as I rub his back soothingly. His crying calms a bit as his grip loosens as well.

"Is this why you're doing that bet with Noah?" He asks as he looks at me in the eyes. I nod.

"How much do you have left?" He asks.

"5 and a half." I say in a whisper.

"Months?" He asks. I shake my head.

"Weeks." I say as he bites his lip to stop crying.

"Okay, we can do a lot in them, and trust Noah for craziness and all. It'll be okay." He says as he smiles but it even a blind man would see it was a fake one.

"Zach, promise me you won't tell Noah or Aiden." I say. He looks at me weirdly.

"Why? They need to know as well." He states.

"Not now, or ever, okay?" I say. He huffs but nods.
He lays back down and pulls me to him. Even though it was probably only 6 pm, the stars were shining in the orange-purple sky. It was a beautiful sight.

I continue thinking about my life, if Zach did this, what will the reaction of the rest be? What will I say when they see me in a hospital bed taking in the last of my breaths. I don't know.

But one thing I know for certain, is that I can't get attached with any of them.