I glanced down at what Catalina gave me.

"Cat..." I started.

"Stop. Before you say anything, think about what you are going to say," she continued.

In my hand was a thin strip of paper with an address written on it.

"I know this address," I said breathlessly.  "Cat, I don't think I can do this."

"Please," she said raising her voice a little.  "I owe someone a favor and if you could do this for me, I'd be completely done," she told me.

I was quiet for a long time considering my options. She was my sister. I wasn't going to let her slip again.

"When?" I asked.

"Tomorrow evening," she said, "then I'll be done. Promise."

***

"What movie do you want to watch?" I asked Hanna as she settled into the couch.

It had been three hours since I had my conversation with Catalina.

I was giddy and nervous but when Hanna asked if she could come over, I gladly accepted. I needed the company.

"Do you have any action movies?" she asked.

I flipped through the movies and found one. I placed it into the DVD player and sat down next to Hanna.

The trailers began to play when I heard a door open.

"Movie night?" I heard Will say over my shoulder.

When I turned my head, I saw Drew and Will approaching us. Hanna gave me a look then turned to the boys and asked, "Wanna join?"

"Sure," Drew replied as Will said, "No."

The boys glanced at each other before Will said,"Alright. Why not?"

I smiled while Hanna made room for them. Drew sat next to me and Will sat next to him. I automatically heated up and tried to act casual.

The movie played and we all silently watched. Occasionally, I could feel Drew glance at me. I quickly looked to him only to catch his eye.

"Anyone want a coke?" I asked looking around.

Hanna and Will said, "I do."

I let that be my excuse to get up. I headed towards the kitchen and opened the fridge.

"I want a coke," I heard Drew say.

I turned to my right and saw him approaching me.

I chuckled and said,"I could've got it for you."

"That wouldn't have been any fun," he said.  "You would've gotten four cokes and then what? We'd sit down and play nice."

"You're right," I said. He was standing right next to me and I gazed into his eyes smiling.  "That wouldn't have been fun."

I slowly got closer to him and he slid his hand on my waist.

"But you know what would be fun...?" he asked.

"What?" I whispered leaning in closer.

"This," he said finally.

He leaned in, closing the distance between us, and our lips caressed each others.  Warmth raced through me rapidly and forgot everything as he swiped his tongue on my bottom lip.  I kissed him back slowly, savoring his taste.  I wanted to live in this moment forever, but despite this, I pulled back.

"The cokes," I said.

"Right," he answered "I'll help you."

I smiled at him and returned to the open fridge.

When we returned to the living room, Hanna turned to look at me.

"What took you two so long?" she asked deviously.

I scrunched up my eyebrows at her and handed her the soda, "You have your soda. That's all that matters."

I regained my place next to Hanna and continued the movie.

Thirty minutes into the movie a sharp ring invaded the silence.

Drew took out his phone from his pocket and excused himself.

Drew

I walked away from the couch and headed towards the entry way.

"Hello," I said.

"Drew," I heard my mom say panicked

"W-what's wrong?" I asked nervously.

"It's Samantha. I need you to come down here."

I paused for a second. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest.

This wasn't real. It couldn't be real. My breath was short and I struggled to reply.

"I'll be there," I managed to say before hanging up.

I let go of the air I didn't know I was holding in.

"Is everything alright, man?" I heard Will say.

I turned the corner and saw three pairs of concerned eyes looking at me.

"No," I said.

I saw Lauren's eyes widen in worry.

"I've got to go," I continued.

"I'll come with," Will said.

"No, you don't have to--"

"I do. We're brothers. I'm here for you," he said sincerely.

I tensed up at the word: brothers.

I glanced at Lauren, who still looked worried, before I rushed out the house with Will on my tail.

When I entered the hospital, I searched blindly for my parents.

I caught my mom, pacing in the waiting room.

Her auburn hair hung just below her shoulder and she seemed disoriented.

"Mom," I stated to get her attention.

She turned to me. The wrinkles that used to be faint and insignificant were now prominent.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"Surgery," mom said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I was in the room and--and she was fine," mom stammered. "Then she said she couldn't see.  She couldn't see..."

She looked like she was on the verge of crying, but I knew she wouldn't. We made a pact that we were going to be strong for Samantha.

We weren't going to cry or mourn. We were going to be there for her every step of the way.

"The doctors say the surgery has a seventy percent success rate," mom said still trying to prevent tears from falling.  "They're going to cut open her brain...?"

She shook her head,"this shouldn't be happening. Not to her."

I gazed into her eyes and I tried to digest all of this.

I sat down and rubbed my knees anxiously, "She's going to survive."

I made a pact. I had to be strong.