Chapter 1

I sat silently staring out the car window, watching the blurred image of trees zoom by while my baby brother, Feliciano, ramble on about something useless to my grandfather. I was being dragged home from the hospital once again. It became custom to make trips to and from the hospital once I was diagnosed with leukemia. It's hard to enjoy what little of my life I had left while I was constantly being moved around from one location to the other. At least I didn't have to go to school while I was in the hospital. School is the worst. Everyone knows that I have cancer and they all look at me with pity clear on their face. Even when I snap at them they just shake their heads and look sorry for me. I don't have any friends since I shoved everyone away when I was diagnosed. Only a few assholes that I never liked in the first place still have the guts to be around me for a long period of time. I'm pretty sure they're getting annoyed too and will soon just shake their heads in pity for a few seconds and leave, just like the rest of them. There is only one person that I was actually friends with and hasn't given up on me, Elizabeta. She introduced me to the other two assholes, Franciss and Gilbert, who probably only stick around because she told them too. They're more concerned about their friend who lives overseas.

"Lovino, you should probably go to bed early tonight. You have school tomorrow." Feliciano said once we had arrived home and were trudging into the house.

"Okay Feli." I said as I dragged myself upstairs.

I put all my make up work into a folder and pushed all my books inside. I walked into the bathroom connected to my room and brushed through my auburn hair that was, surprisingly, still there. I washed my face and brushed my teeth before slipping into pj's and curling up in my bed. I turned out the lights and fell asleep.

...

I let out a deep breath as I plopped down at a table in the cafeteria by myself. I dropped my backpack next to me and pulled out my lunch. Elizabeta had taken a seat next to me soon after I had taken a bite into my sandwich.

"Hey Lovino! I'm glad your back." Elizabeta said as she pulled out her lunch.

"Hey Eliza. Where are the other two douche bags?" I asked.

"They want you to meet someone. They'll be here any minuet."

I groaned. Anyone those two want me to meet must be bad news. Sure enough, I saw Francis, tall with blonde hair and blue eyes, walking next to Gilbert, an albino that's slightly taller than Francis. They seemed to be hiding the someone they want me to meet behind the two of them. Once they reached the table, I raised my eyebrow and said "Yes?"

"Lovino, we like to introduce you to someone who has just moved here." Francis started.

"He is one of our good friends and we think you two would be good friends." Gilbert finished.

I began to get suspicious. Since when did those two care about my we fare?

"Lovino, meet Antonio!" Francis said as he and Gilbert stepped aside.

Behind them stood who the called "Antonio." He had chocolate brown hair and caramel colored skin that made his emerald eyes pop, but the one thing that stood out was his smile. His smile could light up and entire town and it had me speechless.

"Hola. It's nice to meet you!" Antonio said.

"Nice to meet you too." I replied quietly, averting my eyes.

Gilbert and Francis exchanged confused expressions while Elizabeta looked thoroughly amused. The three of them sat down, Antonio next to me. I ate my lunch in silence while I tried to hide the growing blush on my face. It only got worse when Francis and Gilbert decided to go to the bathroom and Elizabeta left to go get some food from the lunch line. I had no idea what to say. I was never good with people.

"So, Lovino, tell me about yourself." Antonio said awkwardly.

I looked at him for the first time today and stifled a laugh. He was trying so hard to have a conversation with me that he just looked ridiculous.

"What's so funny?" he complained.

"Nothing." I said, still trying to suppress my laughter.

"Do I have something on my face? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

He furrowed his eyebrows together and crossed his arms over his chest like an immature child. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, do you want to meet somewhere after school?" he asked, his arms still crossed.

"Why would you want to hang out with me?" I replied, slightly shocked.

"Why not?"

"I can think of multiple reasons."

"We have time. It's not like you'll up and die on me."

"I might."

I grabbed my backpack and walked out of the cafeteria as quickly as possible. I rushed into the school library and sat down at the table in the farthest corner. I wiped away the tears that were threatening to spill and focused on finishing my lunch. I knew that Antonio knew nothing about my cancer, but being reminded that I could die any day now was still a slap in the face. I spent the rest of the day hiding in the library.

...

I made sure that I left school a few hour after the dismissal bell had rung. I knew that there would still be a few students around for after school activities, but the one I wanted to avoid would hopefully be gone. Or so I thought. Once I had gone through the main doors I saw Antonio standing there. I tried o sneak around him, but he saw me.

"Lovinio!" he called.

I walked a little faster, trying to ignore him until he caught my wrist and pulled me to a stop. I turned around and tried to keep my demeanor cool.

"What?" I snapped, failing to remain "cool."

"Lovino, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't know that you had cancer." he said.

I took a deep breath and said "It's okay."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Great! Then can we hang out now?"

"Are you serious? Don't you have someone you were waiting for?"

"You."

I felt my face turn red.

"Fine. I know a place we can go." I said.

I dragged him in the direction of my house, since it was the only place within walking distance that we could hang out. Once we neared my neighborhood, Antonio said "Hey, I live in this neighborhood!"

"No way. Me too." I replied.

When we were at my house Antonio said "Wow! I live at the end of this street! We're practically neighbors."

"We are neighbors you dumb ass."

"If you think about it, I guess we are."

I rolled my eyes once again.

"Just drop your stuff where ever." I said once we had entered my house.

"Brother are you home?" Feliciano called from the kitchen.

"Yeah! I have a friend over." I replied.

"A friend!" Feliciano said as he suddenly appeared in front of Antonio and I.

"You have a friend over?!" Grandpa asked as he too, suddenly appeared in front of Antonio and I.

"Hi! My name is Antonio and I just moved into the house at the end of the street." Antonio said.

"Your the new guy! My name is Feliciano!" Feliciano said as he gave Antonio one of his customary welcome hugs before he returned to the kitchen.

"It's very nice to meet you. I'm Lovino and Feliciano's grandfather. You can just call me Grandpa." Grandpa said as he shook Antonio's hand before retreating back to where he came from.

"Come on, my room is up here." I said as I led him up the stairs to my room.

"Hey Lovino, if you don't mind me asking, but where are your parents?" Antonio asked once we had plopped down on the floor.

"I do but I'll tell you anyways. They both died in a car accident. Feliciano and I survived." I said, trying to hide some of the pent up hurt.

Antonio's eyes went wide.

"Look it's nothing. I don't need to be pitied." I said, trying to keep Antonio among the few who don't pity me.

"It's not nothing but I wasn't going to pity you. Look Lovino, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here." he said.

"I'm fine." I said holding back tears as the horrible memories flooded my head all over again.

"It's okay to cry sometimes Lovino."

That was the final straw. I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. I had them stored up for ten years. Feliciano was too young to understand what had happened, but I had seen my parents take their lasts breaths. I had heard them speak their last words. I remeber them so clearly. My mom told me she loved me and my dad told me to stay strong. Then they left the world forever. As I replayed those memories in my head, I cried. At some point Antonio had wrapped his arms around me, but I just sat their limply as I sobbed. Antonio wiped a tear from my eye.

"I'm always here for you and you can trust me." he said.

I don't know why, but I did. I had gone years without trusting a single person until they had proven themselves worthy, but now I was just telling a guy I had just met everything about something I had kept locked up for ten years. I don't understand why, but I trusted Antonio. He was someone who I had befriended (sorta) in a few hours, when it usually took someone years. He was special, I just didn't know why yet.