Page 17 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

“What? Why? You have to come. I thought Dr. Peters said—”

“I’ll see how I feel.”

“Yeah, of course.” He gave me a strange look.

Did he feel it?

The lie hanging between us.

The big, life-changing secret.

Guilt coiled around my heart, but I ignored it. Telling Aaron wasn’t an option, not yet. Besides, if I told Aaron, he would tell Poppy and most likely Cole. And before long, everybody would know, and I’d no longer be Sofia Bennet.

I would be Sofia Bennet, the girl with leukemia.

I didn’t want, or need, that kind of attention.

This was my business and I wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

“I can’t believe there are only four games left until the playoffs.” Aaron kicked his feet up on the coffee table.

“Don’t let Mom see you do that,” I said.

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” He leaned over, grabbing a handful of Cheetos.

“Pig,” I muttered. “Can’t you go and annoy someone else?”

“Yeah, come on, Aaron. Maybe we should leave her to it,” Cole said.

“Is this how it’s going to be now? The two of you, unable to be in the same room together?” Aaron pouted in that overdramatic way of his. “Because that’s not going to work for me. It’s senior year, guys. Senior fucking year.”

His words struck something inside me, and I sat up, inhaling a sharp breath.

“Shit, Sofe, you good?”

“Y-yeah.” I gave him the best smile I could muster. “Just feel a little nauseous. I’ll be back.”

“You need me to come—”

“I can manage to go to the bathroom, Aaron.”

He held up his hands, concern pinching his brows. “Sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“It’s fine.” Another smile. Another lie. “I’ll be back.”

I left them in the living room, slipping into the hall and going to the small downstairs bathroom at the back of the house. Aaron’s words had cut deep, slicing through me like a serrated blade.

Senior year.

Senior fucking year.

God, how was I going to do this? Paste on a smile and lie to him and everyone else around me?

But it was for the best, wasn’t it?

Better than sharing the burden and ruining their final months at high school.

Eventually, I’d tell them—I’d have to. But if I could protect them for at least a little bit, that was better than nothing.

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