As I walk into her hospital room I feel all my old anxiety wobbles flow through my body. "What will she look like?" "Will she be okay?" These questions and so many more raced through my mind. Then, most importantly of all: "will she remember me?"

Upon seeing me enter, an overworked nurse comes back over and waits for me. She is trying to be patient, but I notice she's tapping her foot in annoyance as I try to steady my breathing. When I'm finally ready, the nurse leads me to her bed. "Journey," I whisper when I first catch sight of her. She is lying in bed fast asleep with a lap filled with paper and tiny folded cranes. She was obviously halfway through folding one when she fell asleep because she's tightly clutching a now mangled tiny piece of paper.

I sit down on the corner of her bed and the nurse walks away to give us privacy. I slowly and gently place a hand on top of those of the girl before me. Her eyes flutter open and she cries out in sleepy delight when she sees my face. "Mateo! You came!" She pushes all the cranes off her lap and into a plastic bag by her bed. Then, she tugs on my arms so that I fall on top of her. She grimaces.

"Are you sure this is okay, Journey?" I ask. "I don't want to crush you.

"Yeah, get comfortable," she whispers. "I want you to be able to hear me." I move myself so we are lying side by side, facing each other. I have no choice now but to focus my gaze on her eyes.

"Mateo." She acts as though she is preparing for a long speech. "The doctor came in this morning with my test results. My seizure was really really bad this time. My parents still can not afford the surgery I would need to survive. I've been very lucky to make it as long as I have with this tumor, but I can't hold on forever. Mateo, within a month or so, I'm going to be dead. And before you say anything stupid there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it Mateo.

"There is something I do want though, Mateo. I know you're going to have the most difficult time with this. Ryan and George will look after you when I'm gone, but..." at this point, due to the tumor or emotion she can no longer find the words to speak. We both let ourselves go and break down in tears together.

"I don't believe it," I sigh after we've run out of tears to cry with. "The first and best friend I've ever had in the whole world is leaving me. Mi amiga." I let out a small laugh that she returns as I wipe a tear from her eye. Then, she plants a small kiss on my forehead.

"Until then I'll keep you safe, Mateo." I kiss her nose gently.

"No, I'll keep you safe Journey. You can fight this." She shakes her head and laughs.

Then, suddenly, she's kissing me, hard and full on my open - in - shock mouth. Amazingly I find myself kissing her back.

"Hey!" The sharp voice of the nurse breaks our moment and our lips disconnect. Somehow, during the kissing, Journey managed to make her way on top of me. "What do you think you're doing to that poor girl you stupid boy!?" I clamber out of the bed quickly and feel the nervous anxiety again.

"See you soon Journey."

"Yeah, see you soon. I—" but before she can finish the nurse slams the door in my face. 

9/ 25/18

Hi again! I actually wrote this a while back so yeah. Oh I have 70 reads I just noticed and 40 votes i think which is sooo cool!!! Probably at 100 I'll put up a contest...

617 words

In a Fantasy world where Death controlls all, one girl falls illegally in love and then commits the even more illegal act of suicide, breaking the world Death has created. Did that get your attention? Cool cool well read on then. Ok so new book idea. It wouldn't be out for a while cause I'm considering switching my NaNoWriMo project to this. It currently doesn't have a title (ok it does, its called: This Book Really Needs a Title!¡!) I'll let you know more as it gets closer!

Hope everyone is having a good day/night and tysm for the love for this story