"You are such an idiot." Nala whispered into my ear. I laughed loudly. It felt good to laugh.

"And why is that?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. Nala pulled away from me and gave my arm a good slap. "Because you got yourself shot, stupid." She explained, crossing her arms over her chest. "And not once, but twice."

I shrugged and shot her a sheepish grin. "Pardon me for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Nala tried to scowl at me, but she ended up grinning like a wild gorilla. (Hey, I love Nala, but she pretty much looked exactly like some gigantic monkey sitting in a jungle who just got offered a time-share deal on a condo-what am I saying?)

"Well, now that I've made sure you're alright, what's the news on Isaac?"

I looked down at my hands. I didn't want to talk about Isaac. Not with Nala, who was such a happy person. I didn't want to ruin her mood...or my own.

"Uh...can we not worry about him right now?" I asked awkwardly. Nala raised her eyebrows. "I wasn't talking about whatever the hell happened with that gunshot wound. I'm talking about your guys' up-and-coming relationship." She said matter-of-factly. I stared at her, butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

"You think he likes me?" I whispered. Nala laughed so loudly that I jumped. "Are you serious? You saved his life. If he doesn't like you I'm going to shoot him-and this time he ain't surviving."

At first, I wanted to yell at Nala for even considering pulling a gun on my crush. Then I laughed. I laughed hard. I laughed so hard that I started to cry. Nala was the only one that could ever make me cry happy tears.

Nala smirked. "You should really stop trying to be upset with me. It's impossible." She informed me.

As if I didn't already know.

"I guess you're just that lovable." I said, pouring as much friendly sarcasm into my voice as possible. Nala rolled her eyes.

After that, we sat and talked for a little while. I laughed a lot more than was necessary, but I didn't care very much. It felt good to laugh again.

About two hours later, Nala left to go do her homework. She had also dropped off some of mine (love you too, my dear teachers), but I really didn't feel like doing it. I think, after all I'd been through, I deserved to relax for a while.

Unfortunately, my relaxation didn't last very long. It's funny how things can change so quickly.

Sometimes, they change for the worst.

A doctor walked into my room, looking slightly nervous. My parents followed her, both of their faces downcast.

"What is it?" I asked, shutting off the TV. I had been watching SpongeBob. Don't judge. I found Patrick highly amusing.

"We've got some bad news, Cece." My mom said quietly, sitting on the edge of my bed. I tilted my head. "Well, I could see that from the looks on your faces..." I paused, my stomach sinking. "What's the bad news?"

The doctor pulled a piece of paper out of her back pocket. She peered at me anxiously. I was betting she was afraid I would flip out at her. News of my attitude toward the police must have spread around the hospital fast.

"Cecilia...we ran some tests on your blood after we stitched you up and removed the bullets...and..." She looked at me again. I noticed her hands were shaking. I would have smiled at her to try and encourage her if I didn't have such a sick feeling in my gut.

"We think the cancer might be spreading." The doctor finished.

I stared at her, shaking. "How bad is it?" I managed to choke out. Tears were spilling out of my eyes.

"We don't know yet." The doctor replied, her voice a little stronger now that I hadn't screamed at her. "I'm sorry. I'll...uh...leave you all alone now."

She backed out of the room slowly. "Thank you!" My father called after her, his voice shaking slightly.

The door closed and I turned to my mother, allowing the tears to flow more freely. She hugged me close, locking her arms around me tightly. I sobbed onto her shoulder.

I couldn't hear anything but my own sobs and the words the doctor had spoken, ringing in my ears.

"We think the cancer might be spreading."