The same day:

Kenna's POV

Mom brushes my hair, and it feels so good. I had almost forgotten what it felt like.

Mom gently brushes my hair, and I begin to feel lightheaded.

She stops abruptly.

"Mom, why did you stop brushing my hair? I feel lightheaded already," I giggle.

Danica, who was engrossed in her cell phone, looks up at mom, and in seconds she's behind me.

I was irritated now because, just as I felt good, mom stopped brushing my hair.

"Mom," I say, on the verge of turning around.

"Stay still," she says quickly.

"What's it, mom?" I ask her.

"Let's just tell her," Danica says.

Tell me what?

Wait. Is it what I think it is?

"Kenny, baby, I'm so sorry," Danica says, hugging me from behind.

I guess it is what I think it is.

Mom begins sobbing, and I try to turn around without getting tangled among all these wires.

Danica moves away from me as I manage to turn around.

A bunch of blonde hair lies on the ground behind me.

I look at the hair that has fallen on the floor.

My hair.

It is what I thought it was.

I close my eyes.

This is surprising. I didn't expect to lose my hair this early.

I should have known better.

I take the bunch of blonde hair in my hand and look at mom, who is now uncontrollably crying with Danica by her side.

I walk towards the washroom, swung the door open, and shut it once I entered.

My hair looks perfect in the mirror, except for the right side of my head, which is semi bald.

I place the bunch of hair in the wash basin and touch the remaining hair on my head.

Nothing feels wrong. My hair seems to look like any normal person's would.

I plunge my fingers into my hair and begin combing it with my fingers.

That's when the rest of my hair starts falling out.

.

.

A few minutes later, most of my hair was on the ground or in the wash basin.

I look at my reflection in the mirror.

I could see a girl who was mostly bald with small pieces of hair on her scalp. I didn't know her. She looked familiar but unknown.

She looked sad.

Broken.

Vulnerable.

I wasn't someone who felt sad easily. I felt sad very rarely, but when I did, it hurt so bad.

I began crying.

Literally crying.

I believed Tyler when he said I was strong, but now I know that I'm not strong.

I sobbed for what felt like hours and finally stopped. Something struck me.

Tyler's words: "You're my strong girl. Nothing's going to happen to you. I'll make sure about it".

He was so confident and has been so positive. He hasn't given up, and I guess he won't.

And then something else strikes me.

If someone else can have so much confidence in me, then I can surely have much more confidence in myself.

I look at my tear-stained face in the mirror and roughly wipe my tears away.

I'm going to prove Tyler right.

I'm going to be a strong girl, because that's what I am.

I walk out of the washroom to see mom hugging Danica and sobbing into her shoulder.

"Kenny baby," she says in between sobs as she looks at my almost bald head with red eyes.

"It's okay, mom," I say, giving her a wry smile.

Danica and she look taken aback for a tiny moment.

Looking at their confused faces, I say, "Look, mom, I've accepted this. I mean, I don't know if I'm ready or not, but I have to face this. Every time I think about this, I can't help but break down because I never expected this to happen to me. But that's life, right? You expect the unexpected. So instead of crying around and losing hope, I want to face this shit and get done with it. Why? Because that's what life is all about: facing your fears. And this is my fear, which I will face".

Mom and Danica look at me with their mouths slightly agape.

"That's wonderful, Kenny. There are very few people who accept their illness and are optimistic about their recovery. And I can tell that you'll be alright soon", Danica says, looking proud.

Mom just stands there. Motionless.

"I'm really glad that you're so confident, baby. I mean, it's heartbreaking, yes. But you're right, we need to face this. Mommy needs some time, baby. I can't watch you like this. I've known you since the day you were born, Kenny. I've known you for twenty-two long years, and there have been so many changes in your little life; there's so much that has happened that shouldn't have. But here you are. My strong baby. Stronger than your mommy", mom says, looking at me as tears stream down her face.

I could feel the tears form in my own eyes by now.

"Eleanor and Kevin would have been so proud of how brave you are," she says barely above a whisper, but I hear her.

I heard those thirteen words she said.

Eleanor and Kevin, my biological parents.

I walk up to mom and hug her. She returns the hug and sobs.

This was the first time that I didn't cry at the mention of my parents' names because I knew they'd be proud of me.

Once I break the hug, Danica gives me a warm hug.

"Danica," I say over her shoulder, and she lets go.

"Yes, Kenny," she says, looking carefully at me.

"Can you please get me a hair trimmer? I'd like to get rid of the remaining hair on my head," I say, fully aware of what I'm saying.

Danica looks surprised but then immediately answers, "Sure, right away, Kenny," and walks out of my hospital room.

Mom sits on her bed with her head in her hands. "Kenny, I'm sorry, baby. When I need to be there for you the most, I'm just sobbing all the time and not really helping".

I rushed to her side at once.

"Mom, you've always been there for me. At the right time and place. You've been my mother and father. I know you'll get over this because you're stronger than I. If there's anyone who's taught me what strength is, it's you, mom. Back when I was a kid, I didn't know what you felt. But you were so strong when my parents died, when Jed left, when everyone in my school asked you questions about raising me, and every other time. Please don't make this an exception," I say, looking deep into her eyes.

The only common thing about us were our brown eyes.

"I love you so much, baby, and I will do everything to protect you," she says, pulling me in for a hug.

.

.

Danica makes her way into my hospital room after almost twenty minutes with a hair trimmer in her hand.

"Let me do this for you, Kenny," she says with confidence in her voice.

She's done this plenty of times before.

"I think I'll do this by myself, Dani," I say, surprised by what I just said.

.

.

Ten minutes later, I could barely recognize my reflection in the mirror. I never imagined myself bald; I didn't have to.

My beautiful hair is gone.

I exit the washroom and walk into my hospital room.

Danica looks at me with a faint smile.

Mom just stares at me with an unreadable expression.

"Good job, Kenny", Danica says nervously, looking at my now bare head.

"Thanks, Dani," I say, smiling proudly at how well I shaved my head in spite of my lack of knowledge about hair trimmers.

I hand her the now-clean hair trimmer, and she excuses herself out of my room.

The tension between mom and me was so thick, it was thicker than the fluffiest blanket I ever owned!

"You look gorgeous, baby," was all mom said.

"Thanks, mom," I say, shrugging my shoulders.

She walks up to me and holds me close to her.

This was my favorite feeling in the whole wide world—being wrapped up in the arms of people who make me feel safe.

Only two people have made me feel like this: mom and Tyler.

Oh shit, Tyler!

I abruptly pull back from the hug and stare at mom with wide eyes.

"What's wrong, Kenny?" she asks, panicking.

"Mom, I was supposed to hang out with Tyler tomorrow. And now, I mean, look at me. I can't meet him. I cannot see him," I say, almost out of breath.

"Calm down, Kenny. I'm sure Tyler will still want to hang out with you. I'm sure he's not interested in your hair; he's interested in your heart," she says so calmly.

"Mom, please, it's nothing like that," I say, taken aback.

"Kenny, I've seen it in his eyes. Don't think I don't know what that feels like. He's been there for you more than I have in the past few weeks," she says, looking at my shocked face.

I think about what mom said.

Maybe Tyler has a thing for me.

No, of course not!

I shake this thought away and say, "No, mom, I'm pretty sure he's just flirting."

Mom raises her eyebrows at me.

"Okay, we're both just flirting," I say, looking at the floor, and mom laughs.

"Look at that blush. This isn't just flirting; it's more than that, Kenny. You'll know it too. Sooner or later," she says.

Sooner or later? What, am I going to live forever?

I don't wanna live forever, 'cause I know I'll be living in vain. And I don't wanna-

I was interrupted mid-song by a knock on the door.

Oh, how I wished it wasn't Tyler, but then the door swung open to reveal...

Tyler.

                                                _

A/N:
Longest chapter !😄

-Carita D'Costa❤️