It’s been two months since I last saw Laura Milder. She was there on the last day of school, wearing a smile too big for her face and green eyes that were emeralds. Then she was gone. Poof. Never heard from since. I try to talk to her every day, but it’s the same thing. Her mom or her dad opens the door and says some sort of lame excuse. 

“Laura is with her friends right now.”  

“Laura is helping her grandma in Tennessee.”
“Laura’s at the dentist.”

“Laura has a cold, we don’t want you to get sick.”

I want to roll my eyes and tell them to let me in, but I try to be polite, so I put on a forced smile and walk away, hoping they will let me in tomorrow. Today is no different. I hop on my bike and pedal down to her house on the other side of the neighborhood. I take off my helmet and turn on the brakes next to their front lawn. I jogged up to the front door, took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell.  

Mrs. Milder answered the door, took one look at me and sighed.  

“Hello Ky, unfortunately Laura’s not here right now, she’s at a doctor’s appointment.”

“I know you're lying;” I said.  

Mrs. Milder blinked, “I’m sorry? What did you say?” 

I take a solid breath. “You have said that Laura has been at the doctor’s office three times in the past two weeks. Now please let me talk to her, even if it’s for five minutes, I want to know what I did wrong.” 

Mrs. Milder smiled sadly, “you did nothing wrong, Ky.” 

Suddenly, a Black SUV pulls up to the driveway. I blinked, I recognized that car; It was Mr. Milder's Car. Which meant… was Mrs. Milder telling the truth?  

The passenger door opened and out stepped the person I hadn’t seen in two months. Laura was wearing ripped jeans and a deep purple James Madison University shirt. Her long brown hair was cut into a messy pageboy style. She looked tired but also restless, like she was suffering with insomnia. She looked up at me and her jaw dropped. 

“Mom, what is Ky doing here? You know I don’t want him to see me.”

“Laura, what did I do wrong? Please tell me what’s going on, I can help you.”     

“Ky, do you think you could come back tomorrow?” 

“No, Dad, it’s fine, he’s going to find out, eventually.”

“Find out what? Please tell me what’s going on.”

Ky, do you want to ride our bikes and get ice cream? Laura asked.

I raised an eyebrow, “Um, ok; I guess.” I found it strange that I had not seen Laura in two months and now she was asking if I wanted ice cream. Weird. 

“Laura, are you sure…?”

“Yes, dad I’m sure, everything will be fine.” 

“Okay,” Mrs. Milder said, “Be home in the next hour.” 

Laura nodded.  

“Your total is nine dollars and forty-three cents,” the employee said.  

Laura reached into her green purse with white butterflies but I stopped her and said, “my treat.” I traded a ten-dollar bill for the two ice creams, one strawberry for Laura, and one mint chocolate chip for me. 

We sit at a table outside and sunlight pours down on us like a shower of golden light and warmth. Laura licks her ice cream and I bite into mine. We say nothing. Not a single word. After a few minutes, I broke the silence.

“What’s going on with you?” I asked. I could feel my voice cracking, like an antique china doll. 

“What do you want me to tell you?” She said softly.  

I shrugged, “anything, the only thing I want to know is why I haven’t seen you at all this summer.” 

Laura looked at her ice cream which was starting to melt, “I was going to tell you eventually but I guess it doesn’t matter, anyway.” 

I sit up straight, knowing this is serious.   

Laura hesitated before speaking, “During the week of Spring Break,  I went to the doctors’ and they found a tumor.” 

My fingers are shaking, “what are you saying?” 

“I have cancer, Ky, Stage 4 brain cancer to be exact.  The doctors said I have a two percent survival rate and there’s a good chance I won’t live past September. The reason I didn’t tell anyone is because I didn’t want them to worry. I also didn’t want to be pitied for the rest of the school year. I wanted to be treated the same as I’ve always been.”

Now it all made sense. The doctors’ appointment. Her new haircut. How she seemed tired but restless at the same time. I sighed, “you should have told me sooner, I will always be here for you, as your best friend and neighbor, I will fight for you until the end.” 

Laura smiled, and a tear rolled down her smooth pale cheek. She stood up and gave me a kiss on my cheek, “thanks Ky, you're the best.”  

For the rest of the summer, I helped Laura and her parents whenever I could. I cleaned the house, and fed their pet dog, Mickey, but mostly I tried my best to help take care of Laura. She was getting weak and her balance was not as good as it used to be. She would stumble down the stairs, and would have to use the wall to help her. I later found out that was a side effect of cancer. She had many side effects that I didn’t notice until I started helping her. Anxiety was one. Vision chances were another, and she admitted it was hard seeing things from far away and everything was a blur. She also has nausea, and threw up two times a day, once if she was lucky. But I was always there for her and gave her an ice cold water and a comfy blanket to help her rest. The worst side effects were the seizures. It only happened once when I was at their house but it was terrifying. I was sweeping dust and crumbs in the kitchen, when suddenly I heard a thud from upstairs, and someone screaming.  I dropped the broom and sprinted up the stairs and to Laura’s room. She on the floor curled up in a ball, and the palm of her hands were wrapped around her head. She was shaking uncontrollably. Her body was her very own earthquake. She also was screaming and crying in pain. The screams were the worst things I ever heard. Her mom and dad were in the room, trying to sooth her.  

“Ky, get us a blanket, quickly, and meet us at the car,” Laura’s dad said.  I nodded and on my way outside; I got a soft throw blanket for Laura.  By the time I was outside, everyone was in the car. I handed Mrs. Milder the blanket through the back window and she wrapped it around Laura, who was still sobbing in wretched agony.  

“It might be best if you go home,” Mrs. Milder whispered, “we’ll keep you updated.”   

I nodded and stepped back. I watched the car pull out of the driveway and down the street. I never felt more helpless.  

At 8:52 that evening, Mr. Milder called and confirmed that Laura had a seizure and she was doing better. She and her mom would spend the night at the hospital, just to make sure everything’s okay. I sighed with relief. That’s all that mattered. As long as the words, ‘everything’s okay’ were said. By a doctor, Mrs. or Mr. Milder or Laura herself. As long as the words, ‘everything’s okay’ were said, I could relax. I wasn’t prepared for the day they wouldn’t be said.   

On a Sunday morning in September, I went to visit Laura at the hospital. A week earlier, the doctors said it was best that she stayed overnight for a while. I handed her a vase of wildflowers and said, “for you.” She smiled weakly and nodded her head towards the dresser. I placed the vase there with a loud thud. For the next few moments all I could hear was the beeping of the heart monitor, the only thing that proved she was still breathing.  

Laura wheezed, “Thank… you”. The line went flat. A nurse in the hallway shouted the words, “Code Blue!” 

I once visited my Aunt in the hospital and she told me about her job as a nurse.  She told me that code blue means something serious. It means someone has died.    

Laura Rose Milder had Died on September 15th 2018. My best friend, the person who had a smile on her face wherever she was, and had the spell to make anyone smile, was gone. She was now an angel up in the heavens, possibly watching over me.