Hanging Nebula

In the twilight the strings of white bulbs began to twinkle, creating the look of stars. Boys and girls alike marveled silently at the beauty that the balcony bestowed.

"We did a decent job," Andrew stepped beside Kelly, fixing the buttons on his white undershirt. "Everyone seems to like the decorations."

Kelly nodded, her eyes fixated on the lights. She'd expected it to look good, maybe even great, but here, in the twilight, it looked like a picture of a nebula. It was more beautiful than she could have ever imagined. Nervousness filled her stomach then, leaving her with a sick sense. She needed water.

"Do you think Cynthia will like it?"

Andrew stiffened for a moment, then relaxed and wrapped an arm around Kelly, rubbing his hand up and down her arm quickly. "She'll love it."

Kelly nodded with a sniff, then went to check the punch and food.

Time passed slowly in Kelly's mine, but, when she saw that the dance has been going on for more than two hours, she got nervous. The dance could only last for four hours, and Cynthia hadn't shown yet. Was she too weak to move from her hospital bed? Had she taken a turn for the worst?

Kelly paced around the room, her eyes flitting from one face to another. None of them were her. That sick feeling settled into her stomach as she continued around the balcony. Several times she tripped over her dress. Hiking up the poofy white fabric, she kicked her shoes off under a random table, setting off to find Andrew.

"She's not here," Kelly exclaimed. "Where can she be?"

Andrew motioned over to a table with his head, a small smile on his face. Following his motion, Kelly found a petite, malnourished girl sitting alone. Her smile was a perfect copy of Andrew's.

"She came a while ago. She thought it was funny that you were freaking out."

Kelly's face glowed a bright red as she muttered a thank you, then made her way over to the girl.

Cynthia looked beautiful; her bald head seemed to just add to the purple dress she wore. It fell off of her slightly because Cynthia didn't--couldn't--eat much lately.

"You made it," Kelly said when she finally got to the table.

"Your pacing was cute," Cynthia looked up at her with tired, bloodshot eyes. "I just needed to rest a moment."

Kelly sat next to her. "Did you have to sneak out?"

"What do you mean?" Cynthia's smile widened. "Aren't I in the hospital?"

Shaking her head, Kelly couldn't help but smile. She may have doubted for a moment, but she knew that Cynthia would never stand her up.

Her tired brown eyes became whimsical, "Dance with me? When a slow song comes on?"

"Of course."

They sat and spoke for a while, filling each other in on the past week's events. They laughed and giggled together, just like old-fashioned friends do. From an outside view, one would assume that these two girls were friends--normal and ridiculous. While that was true, no one would care enough to look deeper into their movements and gestures.

When Kelly placed her hand on Cynthia's knee, she lit up like the lights hanging around them. When Cynthia laughed, Kelly would smile wider than the Cheshire Cat. If the correct signs were seen, you could tell that these two were so much more.

When a slow song finally played, Kelly stood from her chair and offered Cynthia her hand. As Kelly lifted her partner up, Cynthia stumbled. Because of Cynthia's weak body, the couple couldn't dance far away from their table. Neither of them much minded; they were just happy they could be there. 

Cynthia's head lay on Kelly's shoulder as they lightly swayed back and forth to the music. Cynthia's mind was racing with thoughts of cancer and the new estimated time of death.

"Thank you for taking me," Cynthia whispered to Kelly.

Kelly's arms tightened around her.

Both girls knew the future; they both knew that their time together couldn't go any longer than the summer, and, surprisingly, they were both okay with that. Somewhere inside, they both knew that the time they had now was special, and they wouldn't do anything to jeoprodize that.