“Jordy, can you pass the remote?”

“What? You come home for a week and all you wanna do is sit in front of the TV?”

“But they’re on Oprah!”

“Yeah, and how many times do we have it? What, 6 each!”

“I suppose, but what is there to do?” Lucy looked at me exasperated.

“Duh, we’re going shopping to buy new outfits, the concert is only a week away you know” I explained and she smiled, pausing for a moment,

“OK, you’ve convinced me” I grinned at her, then leapt from the couch and strolled into the kitchen in search of Teresa, Lucy's mom,

“Teresa, is it OK if I take Lucy down to the mall for a few hours so we can get some new outfits for the concert?” I asked, hope overpowering everything else, there was a good chance she'd say no...

“Jordy, you know I don't want Lucy going out, she's sick...the only time she's going out for a length of time is to the concert...” My heart dropped,

“Teresa, I know her medication better than I know my own grandmother, I can handle her, you know that!” I explained and she looked as though she was reconsidering.

“I dunno Jordy...she's sick! She has 2 months, what if something happens?"

"That's what the medication is for mom!" I knew if I called Teresa mom she'd cave in. She loved me calling her mom...

"Ummm, alright then honey" she said finally and I sighed with relief. I really wanted to go shopping! "But..."

But? Did she just say but? I paused and looked up to her. "But if anything happens and she's back in hospital, it won't be pleasant for you. I just hope you understand that Jordy" she said sternly. I grinned at her. "Mom! You know how trustworthy I am! Gimme a break man!" I exclaimed and she laughed.

"You're lucky...if you weren't such a sweet talker you'd get absolutely nowhere in life!"

she told me and I smiled. "Gee, thanks Mom! You're so great at giving me that confidence boost I've been after!"

I replied sarcasticaly and I left the kitchen with a smile, laughter from Teresa being cut off as the door closed silently behind me.

I looked up to find Lucy struggling to get into her wheelchair with her now useless legs.

“Lucy! Why didn’t you wait until I got here! You could hurt yourself!” I cried.

“JORDANNA! I’m not completely useless you know, let me do things for myself once in a while, and stop treating me like I'm a god damn baby!!!” She slipped into her wheelchair and rolled down the hallway to her room, slamming the door. Lucy had never gone off at me like that before. Tears pricked my eyes but I blinked then back,

“For christs sake Jordy, you’re being stupid” I said sternly to myself, roughly wiping the tears away. I sat on the couch while I waited for Lucy to settle down and emerge from her bedroom. A few minutes later, I heard her squeaky wheels from down the hall and I stood up. She had her Hanson cap pulled on to cover her blad head and one of her Hanson tee’s proudly pulled on. She looked the part. She yelled goodbye to her mom and wheeled out the front door. I quickly ducked in to say goodbye to Teresa, then rushed out after Lucy. We went the whole 10 minute walk to the bus stop in silence, her only ever talking when she asked for her 1 o'clock pills from my bag. The bus rolled along after a few minutes of us waiting at the stop, and I gratefully helped the driver pull the ramps down and push Lucy inside. I stood behind her the whole trip and we made it to the mall 15 minutes later. Inside the mall I finally plucked up the courage to talk to her,

“Lucy, please talk to me, I was only trying to help” I said in a pleading voice, I wanted her to be happy more than anything, I hated her being mad. I held my breath, waiting for a reply...

“I know, I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that, I’m sorry. But you know how it is...” She said finally and I felt immediately relieved.

“Yeah, I know, anyway, I shouldn’t baby you like that”

“You know I love it when you baby me!” she replied and we laughed, something we hadn’t done in quite some time. We spent the next 2 hours rummaging through every clothes shop that stood in the mall, both of us ending up buying bright colored and expensive outfits. It took forever to get Lucy organised, I had to go in and help her try on each and every outfit, which could get kinda difficult, especially when she tried on skirts and pants, I was forever lifting her up to help her get them on. But she had lost so much weight from the chemotherapy, she weighed next to nothing anyway. I hated seeing her the way she was. She used to be so vibrant and full of life, always smiling, her eyes forever sparkling, and now she was only ever unhappy, always looking dull. I'd give anything to take away Lucy's cancer and get back the old days, but it was too late, there was nothing that could be done. Not even a bone marrow transplant could save her life. And it hurt me more than anything to know that I'd be by myself in such little time. Sure, I had family, and I had other friends, but I would NEVER find anyone like Lucy...not ever.
I almost collapsed into the booth at Sam’s Ice-cream Parlor, but we still managed to squeeze in a double choc sundae.

"Lucy...I'm so tired! Can I sit on your lap for the rest of the day? We'll cruise around together" I said and she giggled.

"Nah, I'll swap ya though. You can sit here, and I'll walk" she replied and we giggled some more. We always talked like that. It made us both feel better to think Lucy could just get up and walk at anytime. We talked for a while, then Lucy called Teresa and we were picked up a few minutes later. I was then dropped off at my own house after promising to ring Lucy that night.
I greeted my mom with a hug, and she handed me some clean laundry, then I retreated to MY part of the house, my upstairs floor. I put my clothes away and laid on my bed, staring at the roof. Hanson were almost blasting their way through my speakers it was so loud.
I did this a lot, just...laid on my bed, and overpowered my brain, lying and thinking. I don't know how long I was there for, when suddenly, without any warning, an idea sprung into my head.
I grabbed my jacket, practically fell down the stairs, said goodbye to my mom and scooted out the door. I walked down our hill at top speed, looking at my bus timetable all the while. I needed a bus that took me to Tulsa’s favourite radio station, they were in charge of all the GOOD stuff that happened in Tulsa. By the time I reached the bus stop, I had it all figured out.
My bus would arrive in 15 minutes, I would walk to the station from stop #67 which would take 10 minutes, and I'd spend 1/2 an hour in the station (if they even let me in) then I would catch the 5:47pm bus back home. Simple...I was a genius.
I rolled my eyes at myself. To think I was a genius for figuring out a bus timetable...I had something wrong with me. Especially when I could've just asked my mother to drive me down. I giggled at myself and sat on the dirty, broken bus stop, waiting impatiently for the bus.