Rewrite The Stars

Chapter 18

I don't remember feeling this much freaked out in my entire life, as I drove through the snow. I was fighting back tears and I could tell that Zach was too. I had taken off my coat and wrapped it around him to at least keep him warm.

    He had already puked twice in the car on our way and I couldn't curse the traffic more. Zach was in so much pain and I could tell that, just by the way he breathed; or better say, by the way he was struggling to breathe.

    “Zach?” I called him every now and then to check and see if he was still conscious and he groaned in respond every time.

    “It's okay... We're – we're almost there.” I tried to comfort him. “Everything's going to be fine.”

    But that was a lie.

    How could I know if he was okay or not?

    I didn't know what was going on, and the only thing that I could do was to pray to God for him to be alright.

    When we reached his uncle's apartment, I parked the car at the nearest free place that I could find. I threw his arm around my neck and let him lean into me as we made our way over the building.

    I threw in his key and opened the front door, only then remembering about the four staircases we had to climb to get to the house.

    “God.” I muttered, getting a familiar feeling inside my throat as I was near to tears. “Zach. You can do this. Just– just stay with me.” I said, knowing that he was about to pass out and faint.

    The tears finally broke free from my eyes and ran down my freezing cheeks by the time we reached the second floor. “Only two more to go.” I comforted him, speaking a bit to myself too.

    I sighed in relief when we finally reached the house. My coat had fallen half the way, but I couldn't care less about that as I threw the key in with difficulty, Zach still leaning into me.

    As I opened the door and helped him inside, I cursed myself over and over again for not calling an ambulance. What if something had happened to him...? It would've been all on me.

    Why did you listen to him? You shouldn't have... I thought. You should have just called the f*****g ambulance. This is all your fault.

    “What now? What do I do now?” I asked as I laid him down on the couch.

    “Bag of pills – in my room – backpack.”

    “Bag of pills, in his backpack.” I repeated with myself over and over as I entered his room, technically running. My hands were shaking as I spilled all his stuff out of his bag to finally find the bag.

     “Which one, Zach?” I emptied the whole bag on the table in front of him.

    “Water...” He managed to say.

    Obeying him, I quickly stood up and grabbed him a glass of water and went back. He had sat up and had taken a few pills in his hand. I gave him the glass and with shaky hands, he took the pills and swallowed them one by one.

     “I'll call your uncle–”

     “–No!”

    “f**k this, Zach! I have to do something!” I shouted, holding my spinning head with my hands as I was freaking out more and more by the second.

    “Don't.” He muttered, laying back on the couch again.

    “What's going on?” I sobbed, not expecting him to answer and mostly talking to myself.

    In a matter of minutes, Zach fell asleep on the couch and after around an hour, my eyelids became too heavy for me and I eventually fell asleep on the armchair next to him.

    I think it was around four a.m. that I woke up again. Shockingly I was woken up by sounds of footsteps which belonged to Zach.

     Raising up my head, with barely opened eyes, I saw him in the kitchen, pouring some water for himself.

    “Zach?” I stood up from the armchair, following his steps into the kitchen.

    “You're awake.” He said.

    “Can you explain what the heck happened?”

    “I was hoping that wouldn't come up.” He sighed.

    My jaw dropped. “Are you screwing with me!?”

    “Not yet. Why?” He laughed, earning a smack from me on his arm.

    “Is everything a joke to you!?” I shouted.

    “Only funny things are.” He joked again.

    “Zach, I was freaking out! How can you be so chill about this!?”

    “I'm used to it. It happens all the time.”

    I stared at him in disbelief. “IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MAKE THIS OKAY!?”

    “No, Zoe, none of this is okay!” He snapped back at me. “Do you want to know why I ran away!? This is why! I ran away because I was sick!”

    “THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE–”

    “–I HAVE CANCER!”