Informal Theme 2.1

Life As We Know It.

The story started in Stanton County, Kansas few years after the WWII when most of the people have nearly fixed their shattered lives that were left by that cruel history. Most of them had already recovered from that traumatic episode, including the sixteen-year-old Kate Witherspoon but her lung cancer had yet to compensate. A fresh air is never enow for her to breathe, although she can't remember what it really feels to breathe normally because the cancer-causing substance had struck her cells in the bronchi and that her lungs failed at being lungs since she was 10. Anyway that's when and where the story started: Stanton County, Kansas, few years after that historic WWII.

She woke up from dreaming, removed the cannula from her nose but placed it back after some while when she can't stand the exigency of oxygen no more. She tried to put on her babushka thinking that it would make her look like a lady but she just looked like a hag so in the end, she uncouthly put on her pink lousy cardigan and strolled down with her a small oxygen tank to the dining table as her mom prepared her some canapes.

Trying to swallow some superfluous food that was gladly offered to her by her mom, she thought of something that would always swim onto her mind whenever these ordinary things happen. That their house is more than a house. It is probably because her room smells weird and looks more like a hospital room filled with tubes, breathing equipment and whatnot, their cupboard that was cleaned almost all the time before is now full of spider webs and rats and every damned creature in the planet and that their backyard seemed more like a grungy playground that was the neatest when she doesn't have a cancer, yet.

Her life was more like a typical cancer-fighting patient: injected by random chemicals as though she's an experimental creature, liters of fluid drained out of her lungs, joined meetings on how her cancer can be removed or rather, how long can she still make it and most importantly, constantly breathe in oxygen. Her family had long ago told her that she can go and that they would love her no matter what but she didn't let go. She doesn't want to, not until the time her prince charming might be the one to rescue her or resuscitate her, whatever. She just want to meet him, have a tryst, things like that. Something that a normal teenager and a dying cancer-fighter would dream for. Yes, she's a typical teenager with a lung cancer.

"Hi Katiebells!" Jessica Cumming greeted her as though they've never seen each other for years. Kate is used with her since she had been her best friend when they were still trying to learn how to count.

"Hello Jes," she replied.

"Do you mind if we'll watch the football game later after classes? It would be grand. Every hot football players would be there. So, you're in?" Kate was half expectant that this request would come anytime and so it did. Jessica was just trying to give her the social life her cancer took from her, that's all.

"That sounds great." She lied.

"Really? We don't necessarily need to go to that game anyhow. We can just, maybe, watch movies at our place or in the theater, my treat."

"No, really. I'm in." She lied again and forced a smile as though to convince Jessica that she was telling the truth.

"Perfect!" Jessica hollered as she coiffured and pampered her hair with a hair spray.

"Jes, have you, by any chance, forgot that I have a cancer, specifically in the lungs?" Kate said, aghast to what she's doing. Oh mother nature thank me.

"Oops sorry Katiebells, maybe I'm just over excited. I mean, it had been a long time since we watched a football game together." She said looking sorry for her friend.

Stanton High won the match against the Brooklyn High mainly because to the queue of scores done by Matt Fitzgerald, the top scorer of Stanton High. He is, also, the prince charming that Kate had always been dreaming of.

"Hi there Kate. How are you?" A look of concern flashed through his blue eyes as it met hers.

She froze for a while and forgot to breath for seconds. Her heart was contumacious she can't barely breathe. This hot boy from the football team, Matt Fitzgerald, is actually talking to her. And he knows her name! Everything that's happening is auspicious she can't even phrase it short. All she knows is that her prince knows her name and is asking how she's doing. "I've been doing great. Except for the burden of this oxygen tank, nothing should be worried about." She finally said.

"That's grand. I hope I could help you with that but I obviously can't. You know what, cancer shouldn't have strucked you. See you look gorgeous with that dress you're wearing but it would've been nicer without that oxygen tank you have." Kate lost her mind and now she's dancing on the ecstasy of happiness repeating on her mind every word Matt told her.

"Anyway we'll have a party to celebrate our win. Later at my place. Want to come?" His jaw moved perfectly just like his lips did as the sun teasingly revealed his tan beautiful body with his taut muscles. Everything is just perfect.

"Awesome. Kate and I can't seriously wait. We'll be there then, good-by!" Answered Jessica without even consider what Kate would say.

"You had completely lost it Kate." Jessica muttered clutching the seat belts before she even started the engine.

"Oh Jes don't ruin it, I'm actually enjoying my life right now, don't be too garrulous." Kate said, still half-awake.

Kate suddenly felt a staggering pain in her head like it never did before. Jessica brought her to the hospital but it was too late. Kate's mom and dad arrived some moments she passed. They let her go and it was for the last time, saw a stream of tears flowed down from her eyes through her ears and down to her pillows. They finally realized that what she wants had already happened and that maybe she doesn't want to be in touch with this someone so she won't end up hurting him. And as how they story had almost reach it's rising action, it eventually fell down.