Page 14 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

“I get it, okay. I get it.” Frustration bled from every word. But there was no reasoning with him when he was like this.

“Enjoy your senior year at Rixon High, Cole. Help the team win state, get your little hobby out of your system, then head to college and focus on your future.”

A future that, if he had his way, didn’t include musicorfootball.

“I’ve got to go,” I said, unwilling to stick around and listen to any more of his bullshit.

But in typical Curtis Kandon style, he had to have the final word.

“You can’t outrun your destiny forever, Son. It’s time to stop fooling around and step up and do what needs to be done.”

I sucked on the inside of my cheek as I blew down the hall, desperate to escape from him. From his dismissive, cruel words. Before I said something I might regret.

Something I couldn’t ever take back.

CHAPTERTHREE

Sofia

Aaron breezedinto my room and dropped down on the end of my bed. “You look like crap.”

“Good morning to you too.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted, but I’ll be fine.” The lie sounded convincing enough.

“You’ll be back to being a pain in my ass in no time.” He grinned. “You think you’ll be up to going to school tomorrow?”

“Hopefully.”

Emotion clogged in my throat.

I hated lying to him, but I wasn’t ready to tell him. Not when everything was going so right for him.

This was my burden to carry, not Aaron’s.

Not yet.

Not until things got… desperate.

Leukemia.

The word clanged through me again. It still didn’t feel real, and yet, I’d known. Deep down, some part of me had known what Dr. Peters was going to say before he’d even said the words.

“I’d better go. But I’ll tell everyone you say hi.”

“Thanks.” Strangled laughter bubbled out of me.

Aaron walked to the door, but paused at the last second, glancing back. “I love you, Sofe.”

“Love you too, jerk face. Now get out of here. I need more beauty sleep.”

He gave me a salute and slipped into the hall, leaving me alone.

I inhaled a shuddering breath, fighting back the tears threatening to fall. But I wouldn’t cry, I couldn’t. Because if I started, I might never stop. And the fight hadn’t really begun yet.

Until we knew exactly what we were dealing with, Dr. Peters couldn’t give me a prognosis beyond that my blood markers pointed to leukemia.

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