Read A Second Chance for Free Online Page B

about boys, music , and plans for the future.
    ‘Yes? ’ H er voice sounded different ; the infectious cheerfulness that usually accompanied everything Laura said was missing.
    ‘Hi, it’s me . Jade . ’ S he propped herself against one perfectly fluffed pillow and imagined her mom’s horror at this act of desecration. ‘Just checking what’s up? I ’ m at my parents ’ house , and m o m said you ’d called . Why didn’t you email me instead? Or call my place?’
    ‘I… I don’t think I was thinking straight, Jadie.’ She sounded tired and sad, and a familiar sense of protectiveness took over for Jade . She had always been the stronger one in their friendship, always ready to jump in if her friend needed her. When Laura was teased because of her glasses, Jade was the one who punched the biggest bully in their class and was sent to the principal’s office. She received a detention and a letter for her parents that created quite a stir in their otherwise uneventful family life, but she never regretted standing up for Laura. The girl who had teased her had gotten the message , and though she sent killer looks at Jade for the rest of the semester , she never so much as smiled at Laura’s glasses.
    ‘What’s going on, Laura?’ A premonition of something terrible sen t her pulse skyrocketing.
    ‘I… I know I shouldn’t have called you like that, out of the blue . ’ Laura sighed and hesitated before adding, her voice almost a whisper , ‘But I needed to talk to someone , and you were the first person that came to mind. I called you on the way from my doctor’s office, Jade. I was all shaken up and just dialed your old number. Isn’t it funny how we forget the presen t when we’re stressed out?’
    Jade wasn’t ready to continue a digression into the impact of stress on one’s mind ; her whole body tense d as she asked impatiently , ‘You went to the doctor? Why, Laura? What’s wrong?’ It couldn’t be anything serious. Last time she ’d s een Laura , her friend was walking on clouds, having landed a job with a reputable architect company in San Francisco.
    ‘I…’ W hatever Laura wanted to say wasn’t easy . S he took a deep breath, the silence in the receiver filling Jade with panic.
    ‘You what?’ Jade sat up on the bed, unable to lie down when she sensed bad news coming her way.
    ‘I had a lump in my breast, Jade. At first they thought it was just a cyst and did an ultrasound , but it wasn’t conclusive so they followed up with a biopsy.’
    Jade felt ice cold, her hand shaking so much she almost dropped the phone . She listened to Laura’s voice, desperately hoping Laura would not confirm the horrible suspicion building inside her since she ’d heard the word ‘ lump . ’ It couldn’t be, she thought as she waited breathlessly for her to continue ; Laura was just twenty - eight and as healthy as ever.
    ‘I got my results back last Thursday , and that’s why I called you, Jade . I was in shock, you know.’ She still hadn’t said the word Jade dread ed more than anything else, but they both knew what was going to happen next.
    ‘It’s breast cancer, Jade . I have cancer . ’ S he was crying, and a knife twisted in Jade’s che st as she listened to her friend ’ s sob s , unable to say anything comforting. What does one say? Her head felt empty, and she wished she could be there with Laura as they talked about th is horrid thing that had no right to happen to her. She would hug her and hold her, her silent support worth more than any words she could come up with from a distance. Still, she had to try .
    ‘Listen, Laura . ’ She prayed she could find the right words to help just a tiny bit. ‘I know it sounds ominous and scary, but lots of women get it, and most are just fine. They have drugs now that weren’t available even a few years ago and treatments that are very successful. You can beat it, I know it . ’
    ‘I know . Y ou ’ re right . ’ Laura composed herself