The air is stale, like she hasn’t moved in days. I know for sure she hasn’t left her bedroom since her last chemo appointment three days ago.
I don’t say anything to her, but I know she’s awake. She wiggles her legs, but doesn’t do much more than that.
My eyes fall to the full, untouched plate of breakfast food on her bedside table, under the lit up lamp. Two pancakes, an egg and a biscuit covered in butter and jam. It looks cold and hard now, uneatable.
I want to sigh. Why won’t she eat? I guess being violently sick all morning can ruin your appetite. It breaks my heart that Ben still cooks breakfast for her, even though we all know she can’t eat in the morning. I guess that’s his way of saying, “I love you, Emily. Please, get better soon.”
“Emily?” I softly knock on the door.
“Malina?” She rolls onto her side. “Hi,” she says. A small smile touches her lips.
“Hey,” I smile, coming to sit next to her on her bed. She grabs my hand, squeezing it.
“I thought you were Ben,” she says. “He comes to stand in the doorway a lot,” she tells me. “Probably to check and make sure I’m still breathing,” she jokes.
I don’t find her joke very funny. “Don’t say things like that, Emily. You’re not dying. I promise.”
She snorts. “I feel like it,” she says, slowly sitting up next to me. She reaches for a water bottle on her bedside table and takes a small sip before setting it back down.
“My mom said she’d get my all kinds of wigs though.” Emily smiles. There are stray strands of hair on her pillow and her head is balding from the chemo. “I think I’ll get a pink one.” She’s trying to joke through the pain.
I smile, even though I’m sad. I just want to hug her and kiss her cheek and take her pain away.
“So,” I say. “I was thinking since it’s almost time for school to start that we could do something really fun and exciting before the summer is over.”
She thinks for a moment. “What do you have in mind?”
“A party? We could have a small party in my backyard! Or on the beach. Get some sunshine and some good food.” A little enthusiasm will be good for her. And so will some sunshine and food and family and laughter.
“I like that idea,” she says. “But I have chemo in a couple of days,” she reminds me. “I don’t know if I’ll be up for it.”
“That’s okay. We’ll do it whenever we can.” I say.
“Are you sure?” she says.
“Yes!” I tell her. “Now lets do something fun. We can watch a movie, listen to music, eat junk, do our nails, anything,” I say.
She laughs gently. “I do need some color,” she says.
I tug nail polish from my pocket, the red that is now covering my toes, and offer it to her.
“I like that color, let’s do that,” she says, smiling. She holds out one hand, and then the other, and I paint. While I paint, she talks. She tells me about a book she read last night, before her vomiting began, about a boy who lost his father the day of 9/11. She tells me how she watched the film and read the book at the same time, comparing and picking and choosing her favorite parts and lines.
She showed me the book, titled, ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’. After hearing about it, we watch the movie again. I paint her fingers red and her toes blue, which we laugh about, probably harder than called for.
Soon, Ben knocks on the door.
“Come in!” we say together. He pops the door open and peaks inside.
“What are you guys doing?” he wonders. We smile at him as he comes to sit in Emily’s desk chair beside me. He scoots closer, examining Emily’s toes as she sits, folded in the middle of her bed.
“Nice,” Ben says, flashing a smile towards her.
“I think they look great.”
“They do look great,” Ben agrees. “Mom and Dad should be home soon, Emily. They’ll be upset if you don’t eat.”
She sighs. “It’s not that I don’t want to eat. I want to eat, I do,” she says.
“I know, Em,” he murmurs. “Just try.”
She agrees and eats a piece of toast with butter and jelly. We watch movies for the remainder of the day. When I go home that night, I start planning a party for the day before Emily’s Chemo appointment, which is tomorrow. She says she would like to have it on the beach. She wants to be at the beach so badly; I agreed that that is the perfect place.
The next day, I buy picnic supplies, an already-made cake from the grocery store, ice cream, hot dogs and other BBQ items, chips, dips and candies.
I take a run down to the beach and find the perfect spot. We’ll have the party in the afternoon, late, so that Emily won’t be too sick or too tire. She will have slept all morning and be rested up for the party.
I text Ben my plans and tell him I’ve found the perfect spot. Ben volunteers to BBQ. I let McKenna and my mom know what my plans are and they seem happy to come along. I call Uncle Jim and invite him. McKenna asks to invite her new boyfriend.
It seems everything is set.
The next day is a bright and sunny one. I wear a tank top and jean shorts and get to work first thing in the morning. I pile supplies into the back of Emily’s bike and ride it down to the beach. It takes three trips, but I make it in under an hour and half. I text Ben and ask him to set up the BBQ while I call everyone and make sure they are coming, including Emily and her parents.
They tell me they think they can get off of work. They also tell me Emily is doing better today and will definitely be there.
I’m excited, mainly because I know this will lift Emily’s spirits and end the summer with a bang.
By the time the guests arrive and I’ve greeted Emily with a hug and a kiss on her cheek, the sun is just setting over the water, the BBQ is coming off the grill and being lathered in sauce and everyone is talking. The shoreline is basically empty, besides us and another group of people down the way, who are quietly enjoying the sunset just like us. The waves are heavy and large tonight, and make a great soundtrack for our evening, along with music Ben picked out himself.
Quiet indie tunes blend perfectly with the waves and our chatting voices. Ben and McKenna talk about the music Ben picked, and how she thinks her music would have been fitting.
“I think his music is perfect,” I come over to take his hand. He grins and sticks his tongue out at McKenna, who rolls her eyes and moves to talk to Emily’s mother. My mom is late, saying she had to run some type of errand.
Uncle Jim is creating a pit in the sand for a fire to keep us warm and light up the place. Ben politely releases my hand to help him and I watch them work while gnawing on a shish kabob that Ben made special just for me. It’s meatless and contains all of my favorite vegetables.
Emily comes to sit next to me, rolling her eyes at my meatless dinner.
“I can’t eat,” she giggles, “and you wont.”
I laugh and lean against her. “This is a great party,” she says, looking at everyone talking. “I’m glad I’m outside,” she continues. “Even if the sun is going down.”
We stare into the sunset, which is made of vivid pink and orange clouds on the horizon. I take a snapshot of the sky and the water, the party and the fire, Emily and I, and Emily and her parents. Emily takes a photo of Ben and I before taking a goofy one of herself.
Suddenly, I hear a familiar voice saying my name from up the beach. I turn to look at her. When Addie’s face comes into focus, I gasp and drop my drink into the sand. I see my mother behind her, trudging through the sand in her heels.
“Addie!” I shout.
“Malina! Hi!”
She jogs to meet me, smacking into me as she hugs me. I grab her and squeeze, not believing my eyes.
“What are you doing here? Oh my Gosh. Oh my Gosh!”
“I know!” she screams. “Your mom flew me out here! I wanted to surprise you so badly and I did, you should have seen your face!”
“I was surprised. I’m so happy you are here,
Addie! Oh, you have to meet everyone!”
I turn to Ben. “This is Ben, this is Addie, I told you about her, remember?” I say. They shake hands. I turn to Emily, who is smiling kindly at Addie.
“This is Emily. I told you all about her on the phone. She is a very, very good friend.”
“Not the best,” Addie jokingly murmurs under her breath before smiling at Emily. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”
Addie tugs me away from Emily, back towards Ben. She hugs me again and I smile. “I’ve missed you so much. It’s so boring at home without you. You have no idea.”
“I’ve missed you, too. I’ve taken a hundred pictures for you, but I haven’t gotten the memory box.” I say. She makes a face.
“Shoot,” she laughs. “I know because I never sent it. I brought it with me, it’s up at your house.”
“Great!” I say and hug her once more, jumping up and down. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
“Me too!”
My phone buzzes in my pocket, getting everyone’s attention. I hold a finger up and answer the call.
“Hello?”
“Yes, is this Malina Beach?” a woman asks, sounding a little impatient.
“Yes, who is this?”
“I’m Amanda Burn. I’ve been instructed to inform you that you have received an invitation to model for our clothing company,” she tells me. “If you accept, we can discuss matters further and schedule a meeting for…” she pauses. “Thursday evening?”
I’m frozen. I cannot speak. I can only stare, wide-eyed at Addie, who is starting to look worried. This can't be happening. Is this happening?
“What is it, Malina?” she asks. Now everyone looks worried.
“Ma’am?” the woman says. Just like that, I’m thawed.
“Thursday will be wonderful,” I say. The woman sounds happy. Oh, my, this is happening!
“Great! Now I see you are underage, we will have to speak to a legal parent or guardian, are they available at the moment?” she wonders. I make a face. Yikes.
“Yes, one moment,” I say. I rush over to Uncle Jim, dragging him away from the group.
“Ow,” he complains as I squeeze his arm. “What?”
“There’s a woman on the phone, they’re offering me the job as a model!” I say to him, shoving the phone at his chest. “But they need to talk to my parents…”
His eyes grow. “Whoa… okay, that’s great,” he breathes. He takes the phone, his face still bewildered, and speaks slowly and quietly.
“Malina,” my mom calls. “What is going on?”
“Nothing, mom!” I shout. “Just something about your next Mother’s Day gift,” I lie smoothly. She squints, but goes back to the party.
I bounce in one spot and watch Uncle Jim as he murmurs into the phone. My mind is racing. The most important thing for me to do right now is to not let anyone know what amazing thing just happened to me because my mother doesn’t approve. I don’t know how I’m going to get away with this when school starts.
Maybe Uncle Jim can homeschool me…
Uncle Jim hangs up, handing me back my phone.
“How much do you love me?” he says.
“To the moon and back! What did she say?”
“Well… we have an interview scheduled for Thursday at six. And I’m going to drive you so your mom doesn’t find out… but I don’t like the fact that we have to hide this from her. We’re going to have to talk to her eventually.”
“You know she doesn’t want me to go, we can pull it off.”
He sighs. “It’s your head, Malina, not mine.”
“Oh my God!” I squeal and hug him. He chuckles and hugs me to his chest.
“Okay, we better get back.”
We join everyone at the party. I whisper the good news to Emily, then Addie, and then pull Ben aside, down the beach to tell him. We walk hand and hand down the beach. He pulls me in close.
“I’m so proud of you, you know,” he murmurs, kissing my hair. I smile sweetly at the ground. “I’m proud of me, too,” he adds. “I’m dating a model.”
I laugh out loud. “Shut up,” I say and kiss him.
After everyone goes home, I spend the rest of the evening with Addie, reminiscing and chatting with her like nothing had changed. It hit me so hard, the fact that I missed her so much. I miss back home. I miss Tennessee. I guess it hasn’t really settled in me that this is my new home. But if I were being completely honest, if I went back home, I’d miss Hawaii even more. I’d miss the people and the ocean.
But Ben makes it all better. Ben is the key to my new life. And that is fantastic.
Chapter Thirteen:
“Are you ready, Malina?” McKenna knocks on my door, pushing it open. I clasp my bra and tug my new t-shirt on. It’s Monday morning, bright and early. I’m standing at my bedroom window, appreciating the sunrise, the water, and the morning birds flying and chirping and screeching as they soar over the waves. I see a few people on the shoreline; an older couple and their dog.
“Yep. Just let me get my bag.” I bend to snatch it from the floor and slide two new notebooks, a pack of fresh pens, hand sanitizer, erasers and folders inside. Today is the first day of my senior year. I’m wearing brand new dress Ben bought for me as a gift, and some cute sandals. I have had a stomachache for the past two days, but Ben tells me everything will be just fine. And in nine months, I’ll be a High School graduate just like him.
McKenna and Ben are walking Emily and I to school. Ben enrolled in the nearby state college, but his classes don’t start for another week. I stare at myself in the bathroom mirror. My skin is tan and clear. I look tired and nervous. My heart is thumping. I brush my hair more thoroughly than usual, apply a little make-up, take a deep breath, and trudge downstairs. I’m sleepy and groggy; mostly because I’ve been staying up late and sleeping in the whole summer.
But it was well worth feeling like crap this morning. I’ll get back on track soon.
I have a light lunch platter with apples, mango, passion fruit and grapes. I drink all-natural orange juice and water. I’ll have to be extra-healthy now that I won’t be able to run that often. Of course, I will have track to rely on.
Once breakfast is over, we meet Emily and Ben outside on the road. Emily is dressed in sandals, a cute pink skirt and a sweet looking white blouse with shades on. I smile at them both before I kiss Ben and hug Emily.
“Cute outfit, Em!” I say, wrapping my arms around her.
Emily still has cancer, but she has gained some of her weight back, is able to get out of bed for more than twenty minutes a day, and has gotten some of her tan back. She looks so much better, and begged her parents and her doctor to let her go to school. After a week of us all begging, they finally agreed.
Addie had her first day yesterday and called me on the phone last night to tell me all about it.
“Jacob is a wreck, Malina,” she told me. “His ex found out he had been talking to you… and she dumped him. She told everyone in school how low down and dirty he was, now he can’t get a girlfriend to save his life!”
“Addie,” I had sighed. “I don’t wanna hear about him. That’s all over and in the past. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Sorry, I know! I just thought that was so funny. It’s what he deserves.”
“Have you gotten any new outfits yet?” I ask her, knowing that will steer her away from Jacob.
She continued to tell me about the thirteen new outfits she and her mom had purchased the weekend before.
The walk to our school takes longer than I had remembered. Ben and I hold hands and walk closely while Emily and McKenna talk. Since this isn’t Emily’s new school, she tells me a few things I need to know.
“Our school is pretty basic. People have their groups and you usually have to find your group quickly or you probably won’t have many friends. Except me. I’ll always be your friend.” Emily smiles.
“I usually hang with the athletes… or jocks. But that’s just becaus
e most of my friends run track and play football and ride bikes and all of that. Just like me.”
I see the school off in the distance. My nerves sky-rocket. I just want to go to the beach with Ben…
As we approach school campus, Ben lets go of my hand, but wraps his arms around my waist.
“I have to get to work,” he says, kissing me once, twice, a third time. “But I’ll be at home around five this afternoon. We’ll have dinner.”
“Sounds great,” I say against his lips. He grins and releases me. Emily and I head towards the school. Everyone meets in the gym, and after we sit there for fifteen minutes, we will be herded into classes. But first, I have to find our way to the main office in the heart of the High School building to find out our class schedules. Emily agrees to go with me and make sure I don’t get lost and end up late on my first day. We walk together, moving in between hallways. We pass a long row of lockers, all of them a different vibrant color, like a metallic rainbow. I grin at them and touch them as we pass.
I wonder to myself what color mine will be.
“Last year, mine was green,” Emily tells me. “That’s my favorite color,” she says.
“I hope mine is yellow,” I say. We pass by classrooms with open doors. There are no students in class yet, but you can see teachers sitting at their desks, sipping coffee or doing things on their computers. One man, who is tall and wide, filling his black leather chair, is playing a game of Spider Solitaire.
In the next room, a skinny red-haired woman in a tight maroon pencil skirt talks on the phone, scribbling on a notepad.
“I’ll pick them up, Jerry! I have to go!” she argues as we pass her by.
“Are we close?” I ask her. As I do, we round a corner and come to a staircase, leading down into the main office.
“I’d say we’re close,” Emily giggles. We both bounce down the stairs. I’m bewildered by how well Emily is doing now. Her Chemo must be working. It has to work. Emily isn’t going anywhere.
Malina Beach: A Paradise Island Series Page 15