UNDENIABLE TRUTHS
august 2nd

( 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱- 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 )

Her nail was between her teeth, being bitten away while she was in thought. Her legs were starting to feel sore from her back and forward pacing, her steps being a bit harsh on the ground. She had started to feel nauseated over an hour ago, but she could not bring herself to care.

"Would you like to experience a semi-normal life with me?"

He had to be lying. It had to be some kind of sick joke.

Scott had left immediately after saying that. Telling her, he needed to bring food to his mom. Giving her a brightening smile and an awkward wave. He said he would be back tomorrow, leaving her to ponder over his words all night; it was now the next day.

How could she say yes to him? He probably had a normal life with normal worries and she would mess that up. She despised being more of a burden than she already was, it made her unbearable to be around. The fear of him feeling like that at some point, the way he would feel at some point.

She hissed softly at the tug in her arm, seeming to forget the iv that was placed hours ago. Alice took this as a sign to fall back on her bed. Her body splayed out lazily on the small bed, arm still slightly stinging from irritation.

Alice's eyes fluttered closed, a frustrated huff leaving her. Her left hand came to cup her right arm, groaning softly as she felt a wet substance on her skin.

Soft knocks rang from the doorway, causing Alice to crane her head upwards. Her lips automatically twisted into a relieved smile.

Her eyes were pulled to the small amount of blood on her skin, her gaze moving to meet Alices. "Is there a reason you're bleeding from your arm?" Melissa questioned, giving the girl a judge-filled expression. Setting down her medicine before walking over with a furrow on her brows, seeming upset.

"Would it be funny if I said it was because of a boy?" Alice humored, her lips turning upwards when the woman gave her a side-eye; one full of amusement. "Well more the thought of him." She cleared up.

Melissa gently brought up her arm, giving a squeeze as the only warning before she pulled the iv out. Rubbing comforting circles on her arm when Alice winced in response to the pull in her arm.

The woman hummed thoughtfully, lolling her head to the side with a small smile. "Not at all. You're a teenage girl. Boy problems are bound to happen." Despite her words, amusement filled her tone.

Her lips parted as a laugh escaped, "That's the problem. He isn't a problem, he is the exact opposite of a problem." She explained. Hands moving frantically, gesturing to the air like he was present. "He just came into my life and offered this huge thing, but I don't know if I can say yes." She added, stress filling her tone.

Melissa stayed silent for a few moments, seeming to contemplate her next words. "Is saying yes that impossible?" She questioned carefully, her lips quirking at the corners.

"It would be a burden." She replied without hesitance. 'I would be a burden.' a tiny voice spoke in her mind, causing her shoulders to visibly slouch toward. Her teeth caught on her bottom lip, glancing down in thought, shoulders rising to shrug. "He doesn't even know me. It makes no sense." Alice murmured under her breath.

A knowing smile grew on Mellisa's lips, recalling the conversation she had with her son only hours before coming into work.

A gentle sigh filled the air, "He's like that. Scott doesn't stop until everyone around him is happy and content." Mellisa explained, a sense of fondness in her tone. Her gaze flickering towards Alice's, amusement clear on her features in response to the younger girl's expression.

"How did you.." Alice murmured under her breath. Her brows furrowed further at the nurse's expression, shaking her head in questioning.

Mellisa angled her body to write information down on the sheet next to the table. "Scott's my son. He asked about you just last night." She explained, remembering the ongoing questions he had asked.

The blondes' lips parted in shock, recalling their interaction her first day there. though a single part of her thoughts wandered to the brief interaction between Mellisa and Scott, oh.

Her lips tugged into a sheepish smile, cheeks heating up with an embarrassed flush that spread on her cheeks. "That makes sense... I didn't catch on at all." She admitted, raising a shoulder to give half a shrug.

The woman only laughed, raising her hand in a dismissive wave.

Alice's teeth captured her bottom lip, gaze focusing on the ground instead of the other. "You didn't tell him what was wrong with me, did you?" She questioned with momentary hesitance, fear of the answer clear in her tone.

'Wrong with me.' She was told to never say that, by this therapist she went to for a month. That nothing was truly wrong with her. Not that she ever believed a word he said.

Mellisa paused her movements, lips parting as a deep sigh. "I didn't tell him about your illness, just some things to do when it gets bad. I did warn him to be careful though but you understand why I did that. It's up to you to tell him." The softness in her voice was covered by sternness.

She felt herself wince at her words, yet she understood where she was coming from; death is not a thing to hide.

Moments of defining silence filled the room. Alice's gaze refocused back on the woman, seeing her gather up supplies. "Someone will be back within the hour to give you your medication." She informed Alice, turning to give a gentle smile; One that held soft encouragement.

Alice's gaze fell to her fiddling hands, unable to contain the frown that tugged at her lips. She planted her feet on the ground, twisting around to grasp at her hoodie; tugging it over her head quickly.

She peeked her head out the door, angling her gaze in the direction of the nurses station; breathing out heavily before stepping out of her room. Angling her chin up as she approached the counter.

The nurse had her gaze on her book, oblivious to Alice standing in front of her.

"Excuse me?" Alice coughed out, a shyness underlining her tone. Her lips pressed into a nervous smile, fingers rubbing against each other behind her back.

The nurse glanced up, annoyance clear in the way she laid her book down. Her lips pursed together as her head tilted to the side; faux kindness on her features.

"Did you need help with something?" She questioned. Seemingly frustrated that Alice interrupted her book.

"I am looking for someone here? I don't know if he is still a patient or not. But he was here yesterday for... some sort of therapy." Alice guessed, attempting to recall their conversation.

The nurse stayed silent, causing Alice to arch her brow. "I need a name." She commented.

Alice's lips formed an O, an embarrassed blush warming her cheeks. "Benny The- no, Thomas?" She settled on it. A hopeful expression on her features.

Alice's lips formed an O, an embarrassed blush warming her cheeks. "Benny The- no, Thomas?" She settled on it. A hopeful expression on her features.

The woman glanced away, typing the computer before sighing. She stood up from her chair and gave a pointed glare at Alice.

Alice furrowed her brows, head tilting back at the heat from the glare. "What?" She asked.

"He is right there." She pointed to the hallway Alice resides in, his door being across from hers.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know he lived here." too. That part remained unsaid.

The nurse only sat back down, dismissing Alice with a wave of her hand.

Alice twisted away, hands moving to tighten her jacket from around her body as she got closer to his door.

Once she arrived at the front of the door, not hesitating to knock.

"I don't have therapy for three more hours, leave me alone." He whined. A thump hitting the door, meaning he probably threw something at it.

Alice stifled a laugh, only knocking again. "It's Alice. The girl who has a justin bieber shirt!" Raising her voice so he could hear her.

She heard a "Shit!" and sudden noises after, almost like he was running around throwing things. It took moments of her swaying side to side before he opened the door, completely out of breath. "Sup, wonderland."

Her amused features immediately dropped, "Terrible nickname." She commented, shaking her head with disappointment. She gestured inside the room. "Can I come in?" She asked.

He glanced behind him, before nodding. He dramatically opened the door the rest of the way, waiting till she was in to close it. He cringed as he saw the clothes on the floor and the books sprawled across the room. "Uh, ignore the mess. It doesn't usually look this bad." He promised, discreetly pushing some of it away from her view.

"Mine looks the same right now. I haven't put anything away yet." Which was not a total lie, she still had some things out. Her mother had put away the rest as Alice slept.

"Ah, you are also one of the unfortunate souls who are forced to live here." He sat against his pillows, gesturing for Alice to join him.

She hesitated for a moment, deciding to sit at the edge of the bed instead. A safe enough distance where she won't be touched. "It is not that bad! Just kinda... gloomy. But, every hospital is like that."

"Nah, the last place I was in was nice. They had you bring your own bed, they had this fancy shower, a pool." He explained, staring at the ceiling with a dreamy expression.

She released a laugh, moving to lay on her side. Her head propped up on her hand. "So why did you leave?"

"Well, I have this thing with water. I'm not technically allowed in it for long periods of time, but with the fancy shower and pool, I was in it constantly." He replied, a hint of sadness in his tone. His amused expression, dropping into a disappointed one.

Alice nodded slowly, lips pressing into a straight line. "I'm sorry.." She murmured. A tightness pulling at her chest for imposing.

Benny finally returned his gaze to her, his lips tugging into a grin. "So, why were you banging on my door?" He questioned.

Her nose scrunched before she groaned in frustration, twisting to lay on her back. "I need help on letting someone down nicely." she settled on, frowning at the thought of hurting him.

She felt Benny shift beside her, suddenly his head was close to hers, just upside down. A curious expression was on his face. "Why nicely?" He asked.

Alice shrugged, lolling her head to the side. "Cause he is nice and if I hurt his feelings, I'd never forgive myself."

"Well, why are you letting him down if you don't want to hurt his feelings?" He said with confusion, lacing his tone. His features twisting as he thought. "Is this a, 'I like him but as a friend' conversation? 'Cause if so, he will get hurt no matter what."

She rolled her eyes with an annoyed scoff, "No. He just wants something that's... not possible. Like, what he wants would be so much work and responsibility. I don't want him in that situation, you know?" Facing Benny with a desperate gaze, hoping he understands her point of view.

"What could possibly be that much work?" His hands hitting his chest with a thump as he questioned.

Alice turned her gaze to the ceiling, fingers gripping anxiously at her hoodie. She let out a sigh before clearing her throat. "What if someone offered to give you a semi-normal life? That you could go to school and hang out with friends, but they would make sure to learn what to do if you... if you have a flare up. Not to mention, you don't even know this person; yet everyone says he is nice and determined."

She shut her mouth with an audible snap, an unease coiling up her throat. Her hand moved up to her chest, rubbing soothing circles. "What would you say?" She murmured.

"Yes." He replied with no hesitation.

Alice turned her head towards him, "But, all that work is unfair to them."

"Is it really work for them if they want to do it?"

Her lips part as she was about to respond, inaudible noises coming out. Her hands waving around in front of her, attempting to convey what she is feeling. Despite her desperate attempts, she could not get the words out.

It would be a burden, it would become such a problem. She was already seen as a problem in so many peoples eyes. Alice did not even know Scott, only that he is nice, his mom is a nurse, he accidentally broke a kid's ankle. What if the entire situation is a joke?

"Scott is a nice gu-" She began until she was cut off when Benny slapped her shoulder.

"Ow! Why?" She yelped, body recoiling further away from him.

Benny had sat up, features twisted into one of complete wonder. "This guy is Scott McCall? And you are thinking of saying no? Are you an idiot?" He rambled on, tone underlined with slight anger.

Alice pushed herself to her elbows, "Is he an important person?" She questioned. Oh god, what if he was? That would make this situation worse.

His brow arched, seeming flabbergasted. "Dude, He's hot. Like overly hot."

A laugh bubbled out, her hand coming to cup over her mouth. Which only seemed to make Benny panic more, mumbling about how 'he is so hot.', 'he has a puppy dog smile.'

"I have eyes, I can see he is hot." She replied, her cheeks burning at her own words. Though snickers kept leaving her, especially when the other just froze.

His gaze met hers, the intensity in his eyes sobering her up. "Say yes. You could die any day now, why live your last moments with doubt?"

Alice exhaled slowly, teeth catching her lower lip. She pushed herself to sit up, gaze searching for the other serious one. She remained silent, though seeming to think over his words carefully. Soon, her lips etched into a soft smile.

"Thank you, Benny."

...

Alice had left Benny's room with some weight off her shoulders, a slight skip in her step as she went back to her room. Her happiness was very short-lived when her mom called only minutes later.

She has been on the phone for thirty-three minutes now, "Mom, please. I have nurses checking on me every ten minutes practically, I am fine. Can you please let me take my nap now?" She begged. The left side of her face was smushed against the mattress, a pillow under her body to ease some of the discomfort she had been feeling throughout the call. Most likely stress induced.

"I am just not sure that these doctors know what they are doing. Maybe we should go somewhere else. This place won't be good for you."

Alice's eyes fell closed, groaning quietly. "You say that about every hospital we go to. They know what they are doing, they don't bullshit either."

"Language! You are doing worse here than you were before. You came back yesterday crying!"

"I had just found out I was going to die in a couple months, mom." She bluntly stated, frustration seeming into her tone.

"They'll always say stuff like that! I already told you they were lying, Alice. It has been proven doctors lie whe-"

She took the phone away from her ear, dropping it farther away from her. Grateful to only hear a mumble of her mothers voice; so grateful that her body began to relax into the pillow, tucking her arms near her chest.

"You look comfy."

Shit. She thought, her eyes slowly peeling open to see Scott standing in the doorway. Her body immediately shot up, lips parting in shock. Her vision went blurry from getting up too fast. "Hi." Alice managed to get out.

The corners of his lips spread into a smile, "Hi." He responded. His eyes fell to her phone, head lolling to the side. "Are you on the phone?" He asked.

She murmured curses as she reached over, bringing the phone to her ear. "Uh I hate to interrupt, but I need to get.... Blood work. So I'll call you later, Love you mom!" She rushed out, hanging up before she got any objections.

"Your mom?" He asked.

She nodded, leaning over to pull the pillow towards her headboard; leaving room for him to come sit. Which he did, just a lot closer to Alice than the edge. Her arms came to hug around her stomach, her body slightly twisted towards his. "She was ranting about the hospital and after about twenty minutes into the rant, I got a little tired of it." She joked, her smile only growing when he laughed.

Scott glanced towards the floor, his hands twisting nervously in his lap. He subtly scooted closer to her as he bent a knee to rest on the bed, only one dangling off. His brown eyes rose to meet her green ones, hopefulness shining throughout his gaze.

"So, did you think about my offer?" He asked, the insecurity in his voice almost made her frown.

"Christ, you got to the point quickly." Alice's teeth caught her lower lip, his eyes snapping to the movement. Her fingers moved to fiddle with the edge of her blanket. "Why do you want to do it?" She questioned, her eyes flickering between the comforter and him.

He only shrugged, lips pressed together tightly. "I just want to." He replied as if it was that simple.

She exhaled shakily, the impact of his words hitting her deep. Her back curled as she curled into herself.

"Alice?" He questioned, his upper body leaning closer to hers. His brown eyes searched over her body. "You can say no, you know. I promise there won't be any hard feelings. You would be basically trusting a stranger with your life and I get how hard that is to do. So really you can say-"

"Yes!" Alice blurted out.

Scott froze, expression dropping to one of surprise. "Yes?" He murmured. As if he was taken back by her answer.

Alice's gaze dropped to where their hands are inches apart, fingers flinching from the heat radiating off of his person.

"Yes." She replied, nodding her head as she looked up.

The grin that broke on his face was immediate, his eyes having this sparkle to them that was not there before.

"But.." Alice began to say, wincing at the way his expression faltered. "At any point, I say this needs to stop. You just need to drop it." She conditioned, ignoring the waiver in her voice.

"He's like that. Scott doesn't stop until everyone around him is happy and content."

His smile faltered, head tilting to the side just a bit. As if he was trying to hear her better. Though, his joyous expression only returned. "Of course. I understand." His tone left no room for her to doubt him.

Silence had bloomed over them. Alice had allowed her gaze to fall to their hands, his index finger dangerously close to her pinky- he was rubbing it comfortingly along the sheets, as if he wanted to do it on her skin.

"Are you busy tonight?"

She pressed her lips together to suppress a laugh, a warmth blooming the center of her chest. "No, I am not." Her gaze moving to settle on his face, her cheek resting on her shoulder.

She flinched back as he suddenly shot up, "Well, I'm in lacrosse and we have this game tonight. You could sit with some of my friends and usually we go out to eat after!" He exclaimed, shifting back and forward as he awaited her response. "I swear the second you need to be back, we'll have you back."

Alice glanced to the side, her eyes landing on her phone.

Her mother would come here eventually, wondering where she is, finding a way to keep her here. A sense of anxiety clawed the way up her throat, her chest constricting at the thought.

She turned her head forward, the smile returning to her lips at the sight of him.

"Give me ten minutes to get ready."

┇AUTHOR NOTE┇
— hi?!! i haven't updated in like a year??? next chapter will actually get into the teen wolf season, ofc we are starting from the lacross game where brett pulls up