Jesse squeezed my hand. “Our treatments aren’t working,” Jesse said, and I saw the surprise and sorrow on our friends’ faces—none more so than Emma’s and Chris’s. Tears immediately fell from Emma’s eyes and Chris appeared stunned.
“I misled you earlier, Chris, not wanting to tell anyone but June first. Not until we were alone, but…” Jesse looked to me, making sure I was okay to share my news.
“My treatment isn’t working either,” I said. I saw Emma’s parents move straight toward mine, along with Paster Noel, who my mama spoke to often.
“Is there still a chance?” Emma asked, her voice small. She was frozen, her pain plain to see on her face. My first best friend and this threatened to tear us apart.
Jesse turned to me, and I turned to him. “Ten percent,” we said, in unison, then laughed, which must have looked completely inappropriate. That caused a range of confused expressions to be thrown our way. They must have thought we’d gone mad.
“We’re not done fighting,” I said, feeling the truth of those words travel through my veins and take up residence in my heart. “We’re going to change the odds.”
“We’re not done fighting yet,” Jesse echoed and then dropped a kiss on my head and put his arm around my shoulders.
Our chances of survival were slim. But we had around 10 percent. And with Jesse beside me, that 10 percent felt like 100. I’d never wanted to fight for something harder in my life.
CHAPTER 12
Jesse
“Jesse?” Mom said as she answered the call. “I can’t see you.Why aren’t you video calling?” She inhaled shakily. I could hear her panic in that simple breath. “Did you get your results?” Mom hadn’t been able to get free from work when I’d had my appointment. I’d promised to call her as soon as she was free.
I chased the lump from my throat, and said, “We got them.” I opened my mouth to talk, but nothing more came out.
“Jesse,” Mom whispered, “you’re scaring me. Please put me on video call. I need to see your face.”
I wiped my eyes, then tapped the screen to connect the camera. My mom’s face immediately came into view, and I crumbled. My shoulders shook, and I covered my face with my free hand. I didn’t want her to see me break.
“No, Jesse,” Mom said, despair in her voice.
I shook my head, still trying to speak. Minutes passed until I could. My mom stayed on the call, being there with me, even though she was miles and miles away.
“It’s not working yet, Mom,” I managed to say.
“What did Dr. Duncan say? Tell me everything he said, as best as you can.”
“My cancer has progressed,” my voice came out a little stronger. I met my mom’s eyes through the screen. “They don’t really know what happens from here in terms of survival as this form of antibodies hasn’t been tested on humans before, but previous lab results stand at about ten percent.” My heart skipped a beat at that.
“Sunshine,” Mom whispered, and her face became engulfed with sadness. But she didn’t crack. Mom was strong and I knew she wouldn’t break in front of me.
“So there’s a chance. But if there’s no improvement in this next phase…” I didn’t even want to say the words. I pictured June in my head, holding my hand as we walked through downtown Austin; I pictured myself wearing the UT orange football uniform and felt those dreams inch just that little bit farther and farther out of reach.
“You’re still in the game, Jesse,” Mom said, voice brooking no argument. “You might be down some points, but don’t give up yet. Okay?”
“Yes, Coach,” I rasped, but felt some of the heaviness lift.
Mom’s lip curled into a small smirk. “I mean it, Jesse—” She stopped for a moment. “Wait, are you the only one?” She swallowed heavily.
The pain I still felt over it being June was raw and almost unbearable. “Junebug,” I pushed out. “Only me and June.”
“Oh, son,” Mom said, and her voice hitched with deep emotion. My mom adored June. They chatted over video call a few times when Mom called and June was with me.
I glanced out the window, then met my mom’s eyes. “We’re gonna fight this together, Mom. We’re gonna try our best to win.”
“You’ll do it,” she said with confidence. “If anyone can do this, it’s you two.” Mom tried for a smile. “You’re meant to be, you know that, son? You and your Junebug.”
My heart swelled in my chest. “I do,” I said, knowing it was true. “Whatever happens, we’re gonna do it together.”
I sighed. “Is it okay if I didn’t talk to the girls tonight? I’m worried they’ll see something’s wrong.”
