Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
I laugh and fight back the tears. "Thank you," I whisper. "For doing this. It means so much."
"Honey, it's no trouble at all. It's the least I can do."
Karen prepares what she needs and then divides my hair neatly, where she will need to shave it. Then she takes the scissors and looks down at me. "You ready, honey?"
"I'm ready. Do it."
She cuts chunks from the side of my hair that has to go until it's as close to my scalp as she can get it, then she gets to work on trimming it all down with the clippers. She busies herself for a while, trimming and chopping. After about half an hour, she walks around in front of me, positioning the other side of my long hair over my shoulder, trimming up my fringe, and then saying, "Damn girl, you rock it."
I stand, shaking off some hair, and walk over to the mirror. I'm expecting to see some horrible looking person staring back at me, but she's right, it's kind of funky. The way she is has done it is so stylish, and I feel like I could actually get used to it. Karen has made it so my long hair comes over my forehead and then sweeps off to the side, so it looks lush and sexy. I look like someone from a magazine.
"Wow," I breathe.
"Of course, you're going to have a scar, and it'll look red and sore when you get your surgery, but I'm pretty confident we nailed it," she claps her hands.
"Fuckin' damn..."
I turn to see Alarick walking into the room, followed by Mykel, Kendric, and Sissy. His eyes are on me, and they're lusty in a way that makes my knees tremble. He walks over, taking my face in his hands and studying me. "You look fuckin' hot."
"You like it?" I whisper.
"Baby, I love it."
I smile and look over at Mykel and Kendric. Mykel walks over, grabbing me and pulling me into his arms. "You're fuckin' not going anywhere, girly. Do you hear me?"
"I'll try."
He pulls back and looks down at me. "Come out of this, okay. I need you to do that."
I smile up at him. "I promise I'll try."
Kendric walks over and gives me a grin, saying, "Alarick is right, you're rockin' it honey. He better watch out of we'll take you."
I laugh and shove his shoulder.
"Hey," Sissy says, her voice timid and low.
"Hey," I mutter.
I'm pissed at her. I can't lie. She is so backward and forwards, left and right, up and down...I'm sick of it. I'm sick of trying. Sick of being kind to her. Sick of everything to do with her.
"Look, I shouldn't have let you get out of that car earlier. I didn't realize you were...sick."
"It doesn't matter," I say.
"It was the wrong thing to do."
I know Alarick would have torn her apart, which is the only reason she's saying sorry to me now, either way, I don't have time to focus on petty anger. This could be the last moments I have with any of them. My surgery is scheduled tomorrow morning, and I'm terrified.
"If you all don't mind, I'd like to spend the last few hours with Alarick," I say to them all, walking over to Karen and giving her a tight hug.
She squeezes me back. "Of course. I'm going to be waiting for the news. Be strong, honey."
I hug Mykel again. This time he hangs on a little longer. Then, I embrace Kendric. After that I stop in front of Sissy. "I know we don't see eye to eye, but one day, Sissy, I hope we can just get past this and be friends."
She nods, then in a soft voice, she says, "Good luck."
Then they're all gone.
I look to Alarick, and he walks over, leaning down to kiss me. "We're goin' to beat this, beautiful. Promise you."
I hope he's right.
God, do I hope he's right.
"IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY," Alarick says, hanging onto my hand as the nurses wheel me to the operating room.
They've already given me drugs to make me sleepy, and I'm thankful because I was freaking the hell out. I panicked and wouldn't get on the bed, and was clinging to Alarick for dear life, crying, terrified I'd never see him again. Finally, he calmed me down, and they gave me something to help.
Now, I'm on my way into the OR.
I'll either come out of this okay, or I won't.
I have no idea which one is which. My doctor has been by, gone over the surgery with me moment by moment. I've signed forms, I've had blood tests, he's told me he's confident I'll be totally fine.
But, it's my brain, you know?
It's my brain that's about to be cut open, not only that, but I don't even know if I'm going to have some sort of cancer, or they might find something else.