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Alicia didn’t know what else to say. She just sat there quietly, pulled out a tissue for Fiona, and switched the topic. “Does Sasha usually go to sleep around this time?
“When do you think she’ll wake up? If we leave the pasta sitting here too long, it will get all mushy
Fiona looked over at Sasha and sighed, “Usually, she doesn’t sleep now. Since she got sick, it’s like she hardly sleeps anymore.
“She keeps saying she wants to be with me and Hank as much as possible, and doesn’t want to waste her time sleeping.
“Today she just had her chemo; she threw up quite a bit, felt awful, and finally dozed off. How can a little girl like her end up with something like this?”
Alicia felt her heart tighten as she watched the gray–haired woman. She gently patted Fiona’s back. “Mrs. Grant, try to eat something.
“You need to hang in there. If something happens to you, how are Hank and Sasha supposed to cope? When you’re strong, they can be strong, too.” <fn616d> ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? find(?)ovel</fn616d>
Fiona nodded fiercely, gulping down pasta between tears.
As Alicia sat quietly, watching this family, Hank’s words echoed in her heart. ‘Folks like them, born stuck in the mud, and no matter how hard you try, you’ll never catch up to those who were born at the finish line.
‘One wrong step, and you’ll be swallowed up by the muck, never getting out.”
While Alicia was brooding over just how unfair life could be, a guarded voice sounded suddenly at the door- Hank’s. “Alicia, what are you doing here?”
Alicia quickly got to her feet, turning to see Hank hurrying into the room.
Hank eyed her warily, and Alicia smiled, “I just came to check on Mrs. Grant and Sasha.”
Fiona quickly set her fork aside and said, “Hank, how could you bring your ssmate over to take care of us?
“Sasha and I can look after each other. We don’t need anyone else’s help. Don’t trouble her anymore, alright?”
Alicia
gave a lightugh. “Mrs. Grant, really, it’s no bother at all. Hank’s a good friend, and he’s helped me plenty of times, too. That’s what friends do, isn’t it? We look out for each other.”
Hank shot her a frosty look. “After everything I’ve done to you, you still want to help me? Alicia, are you stupid or something?”
Fiona caught the cold look on Hank’s face and his snapping at Alicia. Suddenly, it dawned on her.
She wondered, ‘Could it be this girl is chasing after Hank, but he just isn’t interested? He is clueless. Even with our family’s mess, she still sticks around and even tries to win him over. She must really like him!
With how much Hank was struggling these days, Fiona figured she’d feel much more at ease if someone were there to care for him.
Fiona couldn’t let Hank chase this kind–hearted girl <i>away</i>.
Fiona tugged Hank to the side, “Hey, watch your mouth. Is that any way to talk to a youngdy?”
Then Fiona turned to Alicia, her smile gentle as she took Alicia’s hand. “Hank’s really lucky to have <i>a </i>friend like you.
“Things have been rough for Sasha and me, and he’s got so much on his te. If he’s a little rough on you,
don’t take it to heart.”
Fiona finished and looked back at Hank. “Hank, I bet Alicia hasn’t had anything to eat yet. Go on and take her out for a bite.
“She’s been here since this afternoon, helping me and Sasha. I even broke a cup today, and see? She brought us a brand new one.”
Hank took a moment to nce at the cups sitting on the table. After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke up, “Let’s go get something to eat?”
“Let’s wait till Mrs. Grant finishes eating, and we clean up a bit,” Alicia said.
Hank nodded. “Okay.”
The two of them sat together and watched as Fiona finished her pasta. Alicia started gathering up the te to wash it, but Hank quickly reached out and took it from her. “Let me do it.”
Alicia didn’t insist. She just passed the te to him.
Fiona watched the two of them quietly, pressing her lips together in a gentle smile.
While Hank was busy at the sink, Fiona gently took Alicia’s hand and said, “Alicia, Hank is so lucky to have a friend like you. Without you, I don’t know how he’d still be hanging on.
“Thank you. Seeing you two lean on each other like this really warms my heart. I hope you’ll always look out for each other and never drift apart.”
Alicia picked up on where Fiona wasing from, feeling a bit flustered. ‘Wait, does she actually think I’m Hank’s girlfriend?‘ she wondered.
Alicia jumped in to set things straight. “Mrs. Grant, it’s only natural for friends to help each other, but, you know, friends only walk alongside you for a while.
“In the end, everyone’s got their own road to travel. It’s not like anyone really sticks around forever.”
Fiona was caught off guard for a moment, then let out a littleugh and didn’t say anything else.
Alicia thought that by saying this, she had made it clear that she wasn’t Hank’s girlfriend. But Fiona only assumed that her son hadn’t agreed to be with Alicia yet, which left Alicia feeling a bit uncertain.
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Fiona silently vowed that she was definitely going to do everything she could <b>to </b><b>get </b><b>Hunk </b>together <b>with </b>Alicia.
Hank came <b>back </b>quickly after washing the dishes, and <b>since </b>Sasha was <b>still </b>out cold, <b>Fiona </b><b>said</b>, <b>“</b><b>I’ll </b>keep <b>an </b><b>eye </b><b>on </b>Sasha<b>. </b>You two go get something to eat.”
Then Fiona tugged Hank closer, dug around in her pocket until she fished out a cloth pouch stuffed <b>with </b>coins and crumpled bills, maybe around 50 bucks in total.
Fiona pressed most of it into Hank’s hand. “Here, take this and make sure Alicia gets something good to <b>eat</b><b>. </b>
“Mom, really, I’m fine. I have money,” Hank said, refusing the cash as he headed to the door.
Fiona grabbed his arm again. “Come on, just take it. Be good to Alicia, alright? She’s <b>a </b><b>great </b>girl, and you ought to treat her right.”
Hank nodded. “I know, Mom, but you hang onto your money. I just got paid from my part–time job today.”
With that, he followed Alicia out of the room.
Hank asked, “So, what do you feel like eating?”
“I’m trying to lose weight, so I’ll pass,” Alicia said lightly.
Hank gave her a look. “Come on, you’re already so skinny; no need for that. Let’s just get a bite and talk for a bit.”
Alicia nodded. “Alright.”
They walked out of the hospital together, and it was already pitch dark outside; it was past eight at night.
Alicia picked a BBQ house nearby, not far from the hospital.
Hank picked up the menu. “What do you want to eat?” he asked.
“I’m skipping. You just go ahead and order,” Alicia replied.
“You really don’t need to be on a diet.” Hank started to protest, but-
Before he could get the words out, Alicia interrupted him, “Honestly, with you sitting here, I just can’t eat anything.”
Hank’s face instantly drained of color.
He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but ended up putting the menu down and calling the owner for two beers<b>. </b><b>“</b>Guess you really can’t stand me, huh?” he muttered.
Alicia shook her head. “Hating you? That’s not it. I just can’t help but think I was pretty ridiculous<b>.</b><b>” </b>
‘Seriously, my past self was so naive, so dumb,‘ Alicia thought. ‘I used to think that telling people how bad I had it before Mr. Shaw took me in would somehow make them feel better, like their own problems might seem lighter.
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‘But all that ever did <b>was </b>give them something to use against me, turning my pain into a target. That part of me? It’s over. I’m never letting myself be that pathetic again.’
Hank popped open a beer. He didn’t <b>even </b>bother offering one to Alicia and took a heavy gulp. Half the bottle was gone in seconds.
After wiping his mouth, he finally spoke, “Alicia, I <b>swear</b>, I never wanted to hurt you. You’ve seen how desperate things are for me. I’m broke, really broke.
“Tiffany said she’d give me money. She just wanted me to make you look bad in public. I honestly had no idea they’d twist things and make them so ugly.”
He added, “I get it. Nothing I say now can fix what I did. I really messed you up. I’m sorry.”
Alicia <b>just </b>smiled, “Those words? They can’t really hurt me. And after seeing what you’re dealing with today, I can’t bring myself to hate you.”
Hank never expected her to react like that. He looked up at her, genuinely surprised.
Alicia gave a small, almost teasingugh. “I’m curious. How much did Tiffany give you, exactly?”
Hank hesitated for a moment, then muttered, “$2,000.”
“And with that, how many chemo treatments can Sasha get?” Alicia pressed.
Hank’s lips tightened. “Two, maybe three.”
AD