"Venus has O negative blood, just like violet," Tyler stands up, hope shining bright in his eyes.

I don't respond when the doctor looks at me. I simply stand there, not knowing what to do. I feel Mrs. chivalry's hand on my shoulder and I just want to cry.

"I- I can't give her my blood," I reply, almost like a whisper but he heard it and his eyes widen.

"What- Why?" He rushes over to me.

I look into his eyes and all that I see is a shimmer of hope which I'm about to crush into pieces.

"B-because I don't want to," I lie and his brows narrow in confusion.

"What- what do you mean you don't want to?" He lets out a nervous chuckle and continues. "This is violet we're talking about."

"And?" I scoff and he just looks at me in confusion. "I don't care whoever it is, I said I'm not giving my blood and I mean it."

"Venus, what's wrong?" Kate asks as she walks towards Tyler and I, as Chris follows behind her.

"Nothing," I answer back, annoyed.

I control myself from crying in front of them. I look into Kate's eyes and I don't see her hurt. She has this hope of some sort that there has to be something wrong with me.

"Vee, are you okay?" Chris asks, concerned.

I badly want to tell them about my cancer but they already have a lot on their platter right now. I can't tell them and make them more concerned about me when I don't think I have any scope of coming out of this alive.

So, I do what I have always done, hurt them until they finally give up on me. It didn't work last time but I will make sure they all hate me this time.

"For one moment, can you guys just stop asking me if I'm fine, because I am. I'm just tired of being this pathetic little girl to you guys," I annoyingly bark back and their eyes are widened in shock.

I have never talked to them in this tone, ever in my entire life.

"Venus, you're not- you're not a pathetic little girl to us," Kate whispers.

I keep my posture straight and my eyes find Mrs. Chivalry's. She slowly shakes her head, telling me to not do this but I don't listen to her.

"Anyways, I have somewhere to be and I should probably be heading out," I reply back and Tyler just seems broken.

A voice inside of me is shouting and screaming at me. It wants to tell them about my heath but I can't let them care about me anymore. All they have done ever since they met me, is taking care of me. They have had enough of this, enough of me. Now, it's either make them hate me or hurt them even more by telling them.

I think making them hate me should work.

I turn to around to leave but someone holds onto my arm. I bite back the tears and turn around slowly to find Tyler.

"Vee, please help me save violet. I don't know why you're acting like this but please. I won't be able to live without her," he literally begs me but I stiffen.

"Did you not hear me Tyler? I already told you that I'm not giving my blood, not to violet nor to Ian," I say and turn the other way.

I close my eyes and a tear escapes. "Just let it go."

"Vee, she never gave up on you, how can you give up on her?" He asks, defeated.

"Well, you should've given up on me when you had the chance to do so," I say and leave the emergency room.

___

"Why would you do that Venus?" I hear Mrs. Chivalry walking towards me. "Why not just tell them?"

I don't turn to face her. She is rambling about how I need support from my friends because I won't be able to fight the cancer off by myself. It'll be so selfish of me if I only tell them because I need someone by my side.

I can't do that to them.

"Are you listeni—?" She stops talking when she turns me around and looks at my red and teary eyes. "Venus what- what's wrong? I'm sorry I didn't mean to—"

She stops talking when I pull her into a hug. She takes in what's happening then slowly hugs me back. The warmth I feel when hugging her is all I ever wanted. We slowly pull out and she kisses my forehead.

I can fight this thing off if I have her by my side.

Suddenly Dr. Helton walks towards our corner with couple of files.

"Venus, we have a plan. We will try everything in the books to make you better. We need to start on chemo and radiation as quickly as possible, this type of leukemia spreads fast and wide," Dr. Helton says.

"What- what are you suggesting?" Mrs. Chivalry asks for me.

"We have the best team of oncologists in Washington. They have saved many leukemia stage III patients with survival rate of 10 percent. I'm suggesting that we go there and start on her chemo and radiation," she suggests.

"Do anything if it means that my daughter will be safe," Mrs. chivalry answers.

"Well, we should leave soon. Don't worry about school, we can get you homeschooled for the rest of this semester," she says and I nod as she leaves us.

"This is the reason why I- I can't tell them about this. Ever since we were ten, all they have done is help me by putting me first for everything. First, with my drug problem, then with my broken heart, then again with my drug problem, then with my tremors. They don't deserve this, they deserve a break... from me," I close my eyes and sob.

"Oh Venus, but they care for you, they have the right to know. You should let them know that you're not giving blood because you..." she slowly pats my head slowly.

"Because I have cancer," I say and she slowly nods. "That's not an excuse and it's better that they don't know."

"What?" I hear Kate gasp in distance.

I turn around slowly. I find Kate looking at me in disbelief and Liam right next to her. "Kate? Liam?"

She looks away and tears roll down her eyes. "Venu- Venus what- what are you talking about?"

Crap. How much did they hear?

"Everything," she replies back and I mentally slap myself for saying that out loud. "Venus, I- I need to know, what's happening."

I divert my attention away from her and to Mrs. Chivalry who nods in approval. I walk towards they and I take them to the waiting room where there are chairs for us to sit on.

When I tell them about my condition and how everything that happened to me is related to it in someway, they looks more sad than ever. I could feel Kate's heart breaking into million pieces when she gets to know about my cancer.

"No," she cries out in disbelief and I pull her into a hug.

She tries to fight me but I don't let go of her. "No, don't touch me. How could you- how could you not tell me about this? And, how dare you keeping it all to yourself? We are- we are your friends Vee, we have the right to know. How can you be so selfish and just take that right away from us?"

I cry into her shoulders as she does into mine. "I- I thought I was doing you guys a favor," I sob and she smacks my head slowly.

"You don't get to make that decision for us. We decide if and who we want to care for. Venus, you have been everything to us: a perfect friend, a perfect sister, someone who we rely on. We care for you because that's what you do for us," she cries and we slowly pull out of the hug.

"I'm sorry," I wipe away her tears and she smiles at me weakly.

"Stupid, it's fine," she holds onto my cheeks and wipes away my tears.

"Venus, how could you not tell me either?" Liam asks and I scoff.

"You see we were broken up and I didn't think you cared anyways," I reply back.

"No. I never stoped caring for you Venus. We just drifted apart, but I never stopped caring for you," he wipes away the tears.

I turn my attention to Kate who's just crying.

"I love you guys so much that it pains me to hurt you. Promise- promise me one thing," I ask her and she nods. "You won't tell anyone about this."

"What? No- no Venus they have to know," she says but I shake my head.

"You know how bad stage III leukemia is, there is no way for me to get out of this alive Kate. So, why tell them and break their hearts when they could hate me and not care about me?" I breathe out and Kate looks down, defeated.

"Vee I- I can't—" she starts but doesn't finish.

"You have to Kate, and so do you Liam. For me, you both have to keep this between us. I can't even risk Cayson knowing about this," I say and her eyes shoot up at me.

"No," she realizes what I'm about to say. "No, you're not- you're not going—"

"—but I am, I have to. My doctor knows what's best for me and she thinks that the doctors in Washington can help me. I- I have to leave Kate," I tell her and stand up.

"What- what will I tell them? What will I tell Cayson?" She asks me and I don't know the answer to those question.

I just stare at her for a while before wiping away my tears. "Nothing. You have to pretend to hate me as much as they probably do now. Don't tell anyone where I am or what happened to me. And, as for Cayson, he also deserves better. Tell him what I did and how I ran away."

"They will hate you Venus," she breathes out. "He will hate you."

I let out a weak smile. "Let them. At least I know that when and if I return, I will have two people who doesn't hate me. Those two people will be you both."

"I love you Venus," she hugs me one last time.

"I love you too Kate," I reply back with a tight hug.

"We will miss you Venus," Liam pulls me into a hug and I hug him back.

___