Part 30 (2/2)

She stares at me without moving. ”I made it past the five- year survival mark a couple of years ago. So technically I'm considered cured.”

I put out my hand, and she stares at it and then sighs and takes it. I pull her from the car, and chips from her lap fall to the ground.

”Bird food,” I say. ”Come on. Let's go stretch our legs. Or you can 208.

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1 6 t h i n g s i t h o u g h t w e r e t r u e pee on the side of the road again.” Amy snorts as we walk to the shoulder of the road.

Adam comes out of his side of the car. ”I still hate cows,” he mut- ters and slams his door and hurries to catch up to us.

”Suck it up, princess,” I tell him. Amy giggles.

Adam walks with both hands in his pockets and mumbles some- thing else about cows.

”So I'm flipping out about my stupid life, and you don't think to mention your much bigger problems? You totally win,” I say to her.

”I don't win.” Amy pushes me hard and I stumble. ”I don't want people treating me like I'm fragile or creepy. Which they do- if they know.” She waves her finger in front of my face. ”And my problems don't make yours less. It's not a compet.i.tion.”

”I know.” I lift a shoulder. My troubles seem pretty shallow, no matter what she says. I'm seeing a whole new dimension of Amy.

And her eternal optimism and sweetness only add more layers to her personality. I can't even imagine what she's been through.

”What kind of cancer?” Adam steps up so he's alongside us and stares down at Amy as if he's X- raying her insides.

”Leukemia. They found it early. I was lucky.”

”You had a good doctor?” Adam intently studies her from behind his gla.s.ses like an investigator or something.

”Only the best. Perks of a rich daddy- chemo, radiation, stem cell, blood transfusions.”

Adam whistles. Amy stops walking. She stares out at the cows.

”I've been clear for almost seven years. But two-thirds of survivors will face chronic health issues.”

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J a n e t G u r t l e r ”I thought you hated statistics,” I say.

”Sometimes they're hard to ignore,” Amy answers.

We all silently acknowledge that.

”So what about now?” Adam asks. ”Are you still being moni- tored? Do you still see an oncologist?”

”Why do you care?” Amy asks.

”He wants to be a doctor, remember?” I remind Amy. ”Plus, we're your friends.”

”Yeah. You've kind of grown on me.” Adam b.u.mps a hip against her and she loses her footing.

She steadies herself, puts both hands on her hips, and glares at each of us. ”Why do you two seem like you have some weird thing going on. Did you make out?” she asks.

My mouth drops open. Adam looks at me and then looks away.

”Um, change the topic much or what?” he mumbles.

”I knew it!” She claps her hands together. ”Wait, what about the girlfriend?”

”She dumped me,” Adam says, ”after Morgan threatened to kick her b.u.t.t.”

”I did NOT! It was before the summer. He's a liar, liar pants on fire, ahhhh,” I shout and run toward the field and scissor jump across the barbed- wire fence. Unfortunately, the seam of my jeans snags on a barb. There's a long rrrrrrrrrip sound.

”Oh my G.o.d!” I scream and try to pull my leg off the wire, but I'm off balance and drop over half the fence from the waist, hanging off the barb by the ripped hole in the b.u.t.t of my pants.

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1 6 t h i n g s i t h o u g h t w e r e t r u e ”Eeee!” Amy screams, pointing and laughing. ”You're wearing your 's.e.xy And I Know It' boy underpants!”

”I am not!” I shriek. ”I threw those out. Get me off, get me off!”

Amy's laugh erupts into an almost hysterical sound, bursting from her tiny body. ”I'm ssss- sorry,” she tries to say, but she can't stop giggling.

Adam's deeper laugh joins hers, and neither one moves to help me. They're losing it over my split pants while my b.u.t.t hangs out over the fence for a cow to come along and chomp.

I manage to unsnag my leg and drop to the ground, roll, and then pull up what's left of my pants. Both of them hold their stom- achs with tears rolling down their cheeks. I try to stay mad, but their laughter is contagious. Soon my own giggling starts and I'm holding my stomach, getting cramps along with them.

Finally when we manage to get our senses back and start walking toward the car, we're splattered by a truck driving in the opposite direction. It zooms too close to us and the back tire hits a mud puddle. It only makes us laugh harder.

I try to hold on to the comical break as we drive on, but reality settles in over me like dark clouds once we reach the city limits of Tadita. I listen as Adam tells Amy the truth about his girlfriend and why he lied to her, but I can no longer partic.i.p.ate in conversation.

The chips I ate no longer seem like a good idea.

I still have to face my mom.

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