Valentina Karas

The smell of Strawberry Pound Cake body spray fills the room as I finish my makeup. Tonight is my last homecoming with Katelyn, my best friend since middle school. Katelyn whines because she just wants to go to pictures and then enjoy our night and here I am fussing over my mascara. 

"V, you're already a fucking supermodel. All that makeup isn't necessary." Typical Katelyn. When I met her, she would get dirty and play basketball with random guys than go shopping and do her makeup like our classmates. Katelyn maintains her tomboyishness, but becoming friends with me made her appreciate being a girl. Katelyn has several Division I basketball offers and I can't run the mile without being out of breath, but I wouldn't trade her for the world.

I place my mascara on my nightstand and face her. "Jesus, Salazar. I'm done."

"Mommy?" Katelyn looks me up and down like a pervert. "Holy shit. You look amazing."  The attention makes my cheeks heat up. Katelyn knows just what to say and how to hype up another girl. 

She isn't wrong. My white dress has subtle silver designs all over it and beautifully contrasts my black hair. It ends at my mid thigh and hugs my curves. 

"All you, girl." Katelyn is so effortlessly beautiful. She has around five inches on me and beautiful tanned skin. Her hair is dark brown, but she recently got honey blonde highlights that blend in beautifully with her natural color. She wears a simple navy blue dress with long sleeves. "Now I'm ready. Can you stop complaining now?"

We leave my room and find my mom and younger brother sitting at the kitchen counter. Mom turns around first and I swear tears form in her eyes. 

"Tina. You look beautiful." She takes my hand, letting me examine her cherry red nails.

Katelyn shakes her head. "I see how it is, Mrs. K. No compliment or nothing." 

"Of course I didn't forget about you. That dress is beautiful."

Ronan, my younger brother, tries to shoot his shot with my friend for the millionth time. "I think you are the finest woman to walk this earth." A smug smile lights up his face as he stares at Katelyn. 

"Let's change the subject." Mom says sternly, never looking away from my weird brother. He's had a crush on Katelyn for quite some time. He looks for excuses to hang out with us just so he can talk to her. Ronan won't admit it, but sixth graders can't lie for shit. We don't mind including him from time to time. In fact, we love his company because he's a joy to be around and never fails to make us smile. 

I became his sister at six and the rest is history. Our childhood was woven with laughter, scraped knees, and whispered secrets when the rest of the house is quiet. Sure, he had his tattletale phase, but our bond never broke. Ro is on the small side for a twelve year old boy, but he compensates for it with his larger than life personality. He has the ability to laugh even under stressful circumstances. Like other middle school boys, he's always down for a game of basketball or endless Call of Duty, but he has a sense of concern for the family and I that sets him apart from his friends. Special doesn't even scratch the surface of the person I'm proud to call my brother. People outside the family, Katelyn included, enjoy being around him. 

"I appreciate it, bud." Katelyn says, giving him a high five. His eyes light up when their hands connect, prompting a laugh from me. 

"Be safe, you two. Oh, and take a lot of pictures."

Ronan smirks at me. "Make sure Katelyn doesn't run off with another man, ok?" Katelyn is flattered by Ronan's pursuit for her, but Mom doesn't feel the same. 

"Have fun." 

The car ride is charged with excitement, and the radio serves as the soundtrack to our journey. As we cruise down the open road, the windows down and the wind tousling our hair, our favorite tunes became anthems of freedom.

Laughter flows freely, and there's enough nostalgic gossip and shared memories to go around. The radio belts out our go-to guilty pleasures, and we sing along. There was an unspoken understanding that within the cocoon of the car, time seemed to slow, creating the vibe for the night. Katelyn's infectious laughter echoes against the car's interior, weaving a melody that resonates with the carefree spirit of the evening. The headlights cut through the twilight, illuminating my music and laughter-filled ride.

The journey becomes an adventure of its own, the pregame to the festivities awaiting us at homecoming and the pictures that come before it. Singing at the top of my lungs with Katelyn has been a core memory of mine. I'll forget what songs the DJ plays by next week, but my time with Katelyn creates memories that linger long after the music fades and the night unfolds.

~

Taking pictures with the other seniors and showing the upperclassmen how to work the mosh pit is the highlight of my night. The music is amazing and we all have a fun time dancing. Amidst all the joy, I forget that this is our last hurrah before we all head to different colleges, some of us likely leaving Tennessee. In the blink of an eye, I'll never see the majority of the girls who take their heels off and jump into the mosh pit and the disgustingly sweaty guys again. This time next year, Katelyn will be getting ready for her college basketball career and I'll throw myself into a sorority. 

It's hard to tear away from our last high school homecoming, but eventually we decide to grab our heels and make our way home. The journey home is just as energetic as the trek to homecoming, but sadness lingers in the air since we're no longer going to be high school students going crazy at hoco again. I just hope the final Winter Formal and Prom end my high school years on a high note. 

"Did you see Mr. Jacobs get on top of everyone?" Katelyn asks me, referring to our beloved history teacher. My school hates when students crowd surf, so I'm sure a teacher doing the same will get more than a slap on the wrist.

It's a funny memory even though his job might be in jeopardy after this. "That was insane."

"What a night." She says as we pull into my garage. I know for a fact my family will ask for a play by play for the whole night and will keep pressing until I tell them something. I don't care, though. Some people's parents don't give them the time of day at all. 

Every time I walk through the door, coming home is like embracing a familiar sanctuary, where an immediate sense of safety and comfort envelops every fiber of my being. The soft warmth of ambient lighting casts a gentle glow, creating a welcoming atmosphere that soothes the soul. The subtle scent of a cinnamon candle that has been burning since the first day below seventy fills the air, triggering a tidal wave of comforting memories. The blankets and cushions invite us to have a seat on the couch. The walls, adorned with cherished photographs and artwork, tell stories of my childhood. After my brother joined the family, he is featured in a lot of them. 

My favorite picture of Ronan and I hangs in the kitchen. I was nine and he was three, but we had too much fun together to mind the age gap. I am blowing bubbles while he lifts his chubby hands in the air to pop them. For some reason he loved bursting them as much as I loved blowing them and watching them mindlessly float.

Ronan, wearing his gaming headset, is the first family member we see. "Ladies, how are we? How was the dance?"

"Pretty lit." Katelyn says, plopping down on the couch. Katelyn has the right to do this as she's been an unofficial member of the Karas family for a while. I hope that when the time's right, she and my brother get married and she becomes a real part of the family. "V, I think we should change out of these dresses."

"Leaving so soon?" Ronan smiles, his eyes fixed on Katelyn. "I'll get back on the game."

Katelyn and I share a look. "We're going to tell Mom we got back ok."

His smile drops and his words dissolve the warm atmosphere. "She's in the middle of a call with the doctor." My heart drops, but Katelyn doesn't know the full extent of what's going on with my brother. 

"Shit." I whisper, ushering Katelyn into my room. Understandably, she's very confused and I promise to explain the situation to her as soon as we get changed. 

To put it simply, Ronan started having 103 degree fevers with no explanation. My concerned parents took him to several doctors who brushed off their concerns and assumed he had a persistent case of the flu. When his normally huge appetite disappeared and he felt lightheaded after a brief walk to the mailbox and back, our worries intensified. My dad demanded that we find out what's going on with him, but my mom couldn't wrap her head around the possibility of the symptoms being something that could take him away from us. 

A couple arguments later, my parents and I took Ro to the pediatrician. While my parents and I were worried about the severity of his illness, I didn't hear my brother complain once. The tests the doctors ran were enough to make my heart lurch on his behalf. Ronan, however, was a trooper and just rolled with the punches, even with needles involved. I'm shocked he didn't move a muscle when the nurse had to take a sample of his blood. After a long ten days of waiting for the results (we should've received them a while ago...), the doctor is following up with my parents. 

I get my concerns off my chest to none other than Katelyn. "Remember when Ro had a fever that never went away?"

Katelyn nods as she slips her size six tank top over her bra. I wish we could share clothes, but I know for a fact I would rip them. "That was insane."

"There's more." I slip on a tight fitting crop top that displays a little cleavage, but enough to make my grandmother have a heart attack. "He would go play basketball with his friends and come back out of breath. Not to mention how he didn't even touch his dinner."

She makes a noise in understanding. "I can't imagine how you feel right now, V." 

"Hopefully it's nothing serious." On cue, I hear my mom shriek from her room. This can't be good at all. 

"Whatever it is, I'm here for y'all."

"Thanks." A weird mix of emotions brews inside me. Other than the family, my best friend is the first to know of Ronan's situation. Talking it out still doesn't take away the lump in my throat I get from the what-ifs.

In the next room, Mom signs off on her call with the doctor. Hurried footsteps approach my door and she pushes it open. 

"Valentina, we need to talk." Mom whispers. The look on her face indicates the seriousness of what we're about to discuss. Katelyn squeezes my hand before she follows me out.

Ronan and my dad are already on the couch. Uncertainty taints the comfort the couch brought us. I glance at my poor brother. There is no sign of the light that lived in his eyes. I wish I could pinpoint what's going through his head and take all his pain away. 

"The doctor called us to discuss the results." My dad looks at my brother, each word further upsetting him. "They say all signs are pointing to leukemia."

Leukemia.

I hear about how cruel and painful it is and how many lives are impacted by the aggressive disease. What I didn't expect was for my brother's name and that nasty word to be in the same sentence.

"Uh..." Mom starts. "It's the aggressive kind, so the doctor wants to start treatment as soon as we can." 

Silence fills the air. I can see the pain in my family's faces. It's the type of pain I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

Katelyn squeezes my hand. "V, I'm so sorry. Y'all are like my family. I can't imagine how you are feeling right now."

"Visit me in the hospital, baby." Ronan deadpans, negating the severity of what my dad just told him. My parents fight smirks, but not even my brother's jokes lighten the diagnosis. Leukemia walked into our lives uninvited and flipped our happy life on its head. 

Dad talks about the treatment. Chemotherapy involves three or four weeks in the hospital followed by a week of rest. After several rounds of this arrangement, Ronan will start radiation. Treatment will be hard on all of us, but my parents will do whatever it takes to be there for their kids. This moment proves me right. 

Once again, my mother's eyes fill with tears. The circumstances this time are nothing I'd wish on anyone. "We love you so much, Ro. We'll do what we can to make you better."

The ball is in Ronan's court. The boy sitting on the opposite side of Katelyn has a look of defeat in his eyes. He thinks about his question before asking something that throws us all off: "Am I going to die?"

Mom loses her composure, choking on a sob. I'm not the type to cry in front of people, but I'll lose it the minute this conversation is over. Dad, the more stoic parent, takes her hand. "A lot of kids your age beat cancer. Like your mom said, the doctors will take good care of you. He recommended two wonderful places to do your treatment and we'll tour them both some time in the coming days."

I know we're lucky. My state has some of the most well-known hospitals in the nation. People from every corner of the country in our exact situation come to Tennessee with the hope that their child will survive. Ro might be doubting if he'll live or not, but we have no doubt he will.

~

poor ro...i feel awful for valentina and her family. this chapter was pretty challenging for me as i've never had this conversation before. what do you think?