"This is the part where you find out who you are."
••••••••••

The washer is bagging loudly, I can hear it from outside the door. Jeremy is home.

"Jeremy," I shout after closing the door behind me.

Adjusting my glasses, I make my way into the living room, watching the staircase to see if he'd appear from somewhere.

"Jeremy."

He doesn't come down, so I follow the chairs around to the kitchen and fix a sandwich before racing up the stairs myself.

My room has not changed since I left on Thursday. It is Sunday, which means school starts tomorrow. I flop onto the unmade bed and watch the ceiling fan run around in circles. I feel my eyes blinking quickly like they are trying to do away with some dust that might've hit them. I slip off my glasses, and I can see only a few balls of light. The ceiling fan has almost vanished before me.

My eyes are still blinking fast when the door to my room opens,

"Put your damn glasses back on, Kale," it is Jeremy and I am happy to hear his voice.

"Checking out the new lightning." I chuckle hoping he'd join in.

"Not funny. You need those glasses to see, put them on."

I remind him I am the oldest by 15 seconds, and without saying it he reminds me that I am the sickest, "put the glasses on."

Dr. Cummings did say that I'm doing more damage to my eye when I decide not to wear the glasses, but I'm inside and it was quick. I don't think I'll completely ruin my sight by taking the glasses off for a minute. I can hear my brother's voice echoing in my ear, though I could not see him clearly, I knew how turned up his nose was. He was wearing his "feeling sorry for you bro" face. I get it all the time even when I can't see him, I can hear it.

The lights do not bother me, and I rest my head back on the pillow and enjoy the sound of the ceiling fan going around and around.

••••••••••••••
The mile run to the end of the and back was a quick one. Miss. Sarah, who lost her husband to a brain tumor fifteen years ago sits in the front of her yard for us to talk. She has been stopping me every time I go by to ask "how I'm doing."

"Do you figure getting the chemotherapy would put you out the game?" She brushes the dead leaves off her lap and glances down at me.

I've found a seat on the ground beside her, "I'm trying to hold off as much as I can. I mean it's not that big and it hasn't affected me much..."I shrug.

"Well, you don't want to wait until you can't do anything before getting treatment." She pauses.

"Kale, I'm not going to tell you what to do, but you can't just sit on your ass and think school running is going to be the miracle you need. You need thinking about some serious treatments."She smooths out her pant legs like she's ready to go back inside.

I watch the clouds as they passed over the sun and I hear Marley barking from afar, "that damned dog. I told them to get a cat. "

Sarah's son brought her a dog to keep her company, I knew she would've preferred a cat. They're quite, she says. She tells me she doesn't like the noise he transmits throughout the house.

"Miss. Sarah, you think I'm dying?"

She chuckles, getting on her feet, "it's coming for you Kale, a little faster than the rest of us. Cancer doesn't show mercy on anyone."She takes a long pause, observing the tree branches that were crashing onto her lawn.

"I saw that pretty girl you be bringing past here, y'all don't want to lose each other, not now. Figure it out Kale and good time running. And I'm always praying for you, son."

Miss. Sarah is already up the steps going into her house before I can say anything. I wave anyway to her back.