Page 9 of Write Me For You

Jesse

“ I s this gonna be a daily thing?” June said as she opened the door.

I was leaning against the doorframe, smiling. “Mornin’, Junebug.”

June was wearing a lilac headscarf, black yoga pants, and an oversized, white T-shirt.

“You look lovely,” I said, and June’s smile faltered just a touch as she dropped her head, breaking eye contact.

I was worried I’d been too bold saying that, but when she uttered, “Thank you,” I didn’t think I had. I just wasn’t sure she believed it, which was crazy to me. Did she not see herself?

“Our last day of freedom,” I said. Tomorrow we started our new “miracle treatment”—or so Chris and I called it. As much as the treatment would no doubt suck, I couldn’t wait to get started. The quicker I could be in remission, the quicker my goals could come into fruition.

“So what have we got planned for today?” June asked as she pulled on her white Converse.

“Toby, Kate, Cherry, and Silas are in the swimming pool. So grab your swim things. We said we’d join them.”

June hesitated for a second, then ducked back into her room. In minutes, she came out with her swim bag, her notebook on the top. She fell in step beside me, and I led the way to the swimming pool.

“How are you feeling about tomorrow?” I asked.

June paused to think. “Okay, I suppose,” she said and shrugged. “I guess I’m just nervous. I read it’s chemo again with immunotherapy.” She sighed. “I loathe chemo.”

“Same,” I said, which was true. Chemo was brutal. Out of everything that they tried with me, chemo was the worst. “But at least we’ve got each other to get us through, hey?”

June smiled. “We do. But if this cures us, then I’ll take as much chemo as they’ll give us.”

I nodded. “Where are your parents?” I asked, just as we stepped outside, toward the pool.

“They’re working from the parents’ residence today. I had breakfast with them this morning, but I wanted to hang out with you guys again and they had to work anyway.” A blush coated her cheeks. I couldn’t say how happy hearing that made me.

Shouts from the pool sailed into our ears, and when we rounded the corner, we saw everybody was already in it. We arrived just in time to see Chris cannonball into the pool, splashing Emma in the process.

I laughed as Emma screamed, then ducked his head under the water. It seemed like it was going to be the perfect last day, and it reminded me of easier times back home with my friends, when life hadn’t been quite as intense.

I pulled my shirt over my head and said to June, “The changerooms are over there.”

Her eyes were fixed on the pool, and when she looked to me, her cheeks reddened as her eyes found my chest. “I’m just gonna sit on a lounger for now.”

I frowned in confusion. June passed by me and sat on a lounger, smiling at everyone and pulling a paperback from her bag.

I was busy staring at her, wondering why she wasn’t getting in when Emma pushed up out of the pool. She toweled herself off and said, “I’ll go sit with her.”

“Do you think she’s upset with me?” I asked, worried I’d done something to offend her.

“No,” Emma said. “I don’t think she’s upset with you.” She went to June, and June’s genuine smile was back on her face as our friend approached.

“You gonna get in, Romeo, or are you just gonna stare at June like a lovesick fool all day?” Chris shouted from the pool, and I wasted no time diving in and swiping his legs out from under him as I swam underneath the surface.

“Prick,” Chris spluttered as we both came up for air.

I immediately sought out June. I couldn’t help but worry she wasn’t okay. She and Emma were sitting together on the lounger, talking up a storm. My chest pulled tight watching her. I didn’t like how nervous and uncomfortable she had just been. And I didn’t like having no idea why.

Emma got up and came toward us. She leaned down at the side of the pool. “We’re gonna do something else,” she said, gesturing back to June.

“Like what?” I asked. Chris swam up beside me, listening.

Emma shrugged. “Don’t know. We’ll figure it out.”

“June doesn’t want to swim?” Chris asked. Emma shook her head.

“Is she okay?” I asked, deep concern burrowing inside me.

June was reading a book, not even looking our way.

Emma glanced at her and looked back. “She’s great. Just doesn’t want to swim.”

Then there was no other decision to make: I pulled myself out of the pool and grabbed my towel. Chris followed suit.

Emma straightened with a knowing eyebrow raised in my direction. “Let me guess: you’re coming too?” she said, amusement lacing her tone.

“That okay?” I asked, pausing, wondering if June needed space and just wanted to be with Emma, alone.

“Of course it is,” Emma said. “I’m going to go get changed.”

I dried off, threw my shirt on, and grabbed my football. I walked to where June sat and checked out what she was reading. “Let me guess…buff fairies?” I asked.

June lowered the book and laughed. “Buff fairies?” Understanding dawned on her face. “Do you mean High Fae?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea, but some of my friends back home talked about them all the time.” June’s eyes sparkled with mirth. “Like, they were low-key in love with mythical creatures.”

She closed the book and, waving it, said, “No buff High Fae in this one. This one is about buff vampires actually,” she said, fighting back a smile, and I nodded, smirking. Sort of called it. June put her book in her bag, then got to her feet. “No more swimming?” she asked.

“I decided to hang with you guys instead,” I said just as Chris came over, now dry and with a T-shirt on.

“Me too,” he said. “We can’t break up the band on day two, June. We’re in our bonding stage and must stick together.”

“Ah,” June said, smiling. “Gotcha.” But I saw true happiness in the way she held herself a little bit taller.

Emma returned wearing jean shorts and a blue tank, a blue headscarf on her head. “So, what do y’all wanna do?”

“Game room?” Chris said, pointing to the large barn-like structure behind us.

I looked to June, eyebrow raised in question.

“Sure,” she said. We followed Chris, and he opened the door to the game room and June stopped dead.

Her brown eyes were wide as she drank in the space.

Arcade machines lined the walls. Air hockey and pool tables took up the center, and games consoles of all kinds were set up with the TV in the room, beanbags in front of it.

“We found this on our first day,” I said to June, just as Chris turned on country music that filled the room from the state-of-the-art speakers in the ceiling.

“Wow,” she said, and placed her bag on the table by the entrance way. “They really have turned this place into a patient’s paradise.” June turned to me and smiled. “Gone are the days of staring at four white walls and a window with no view.”

“I know, right?” I said. “All it took was for us to be knocking on death’s door to get it.”

June choked on a laugh and looked at me from the side of her eye. “See? Trouble,” she said. Heat zapped through my veins at being on the receiving end of her playfulness.

“Says the girl reading vampire smut,” I said, and watched June’s mouth drop open in shock. I quickly held up my hands. “Which is totally okay and not at all wrong in any way, shape, or form. All art is subjective et cetera, et cetera,” I said in a panicked voice.

June pointed at me. “Those vampires could teach you a thing or two, Mr. Ladies’ Man.” I felt full to the brim with happiness. June was joking around with me. I’d made it through her protective layer in some way. I felt like the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.

June’s arms were crossed over her chest. I stepped closer and closer until her pupils dilated a little. Tucking my football under my arm, I said, “How do you know they could teach me a few things?”

June’s lips parted slightly, and a rush of breath escaped them.

“Maybe I could teach them a trick or two—in a non-blood-drinking way, of course.”

The sound of pool balls being set came from behind us. Emma appeared at June’s side, but I was still holding her stare. June quickly broke away to smile at Emma. Emma fought to hide her amusement. I was sure she’d heard me. “Pool game? Me and Chris versus you two?”

“You’re on,” I said, and June shook her head.

“I don’t know how to play pool,” she said, and looked my way apologetically.

“No problem,” I said, and headed to the pool table. June came too. “I’ll teach you.”

“Oh, here we go,” Chris moaned, but I ignored him.

I grabbed a pool cue and added some chalk to the tip. “Who’s breaking?” I asked.

“Me,” Chris said. He lined up his shot and pocketed a striped ball first. Chris smiled and waggled his eyebrows at me as he lined up his next shot.

“What’s happening?” June asked, leaning close to me. Goose bumps broke out on my skin as her minty breath ghosted over me.

“Chris keeps going until he misses. Then it’s your or my turn.”

“Okay,” June said, just as Chris sent another striped ball wide.

I offered the cue to June.

“No, please. You first,” she said, holding up her hands.

I pointed at the table. “Emma and Chris are stripes. We’re solids.” June nodded, watching me like a hawk. I pocketed three solids, only to miss the fourth.

Emma pretended to stretch like an athlete across the table. “Get ready for a master class, boys,” she said when it was her turn, and winked at June. June’s smile was wide as Emma began to pocket striped ball after striped ball. I leaned on my cue and groaned.

Chris was beaming, watching his teammate annihilate me and June. When Emma—thankfully—missed the eight ball, I turned to June. “Junebug,” I said, “not to pressure you or anything, but our victory lies on your shoulders.”

June’s head dropped into her hands, and she groaned. She peeked at me through spread fingers. “Jesse, we’re going to lose. You get that, right?”

“No!” I cried. “Not on my watch.” I moved behind June and placed the cue in her hands. “I might be a good football player, but I’m a pretty epic coach too. We’ve got this, Junebug.”