Chapter 3

I was still debating whether to dodge out of sight when Freddie already caught sight of me.

He looked momentarily stunned, blinking in confusion.

The next second, his eyes widened, and he yelled at the top of his lungs toward the back room, "Quintin, get out here! Someone's looking for you!"

Quintin Huff's gruff voice rang out from inside, "What's the rush, you little punk? No one's in more of a hurry than you! Just have her sit and wait. I'll come out once I find your medicine!"

"I'm not dying yet, you know. Tsk, this girl looks so pale. If I didn't know better, I'd think a ghost had come to claim your soul," Quintin grumbled.

After a burst of clattering noises, Quintin, a middle-aged man in a white coat, stormed out and shot Freddie a fierce glare.

"Watch your mouth!" Quintin snapped. Then, turning to me, he suddenly jumped back. "Holy crap!"

I was speechless.

*****

Quintin handed me some painkillers and urged me to get to the hospital right away.

I hadn't realized it was this serious and was still a bit dazed when something soft and furry suddenly pressed against my back.

At first, it just brushed against me, but soon it was pressed up against my back, like a giant puppy, except now there were two arms wrapped tightly around my waist.

I turned to see Freddie, his face flushed, his eyes sparkling and dazed, like he was tipsy, pressed right up against me.

When he noticed me looking, he mumbled in a sleepy voice, "Cake... smells so sweet... wanna snuggle."

Was this guy stupid or something?

Wasn't he acting normal just now?

Quintin hurried to explain, "This is my nephew, Freddie. He's got skin hunger, born with it, poor kid. But of course, he refuses to get a girlfriend, so every time he has an episode, he comes here for an IV drip.

"He's gone full loopy now. Why don't you two head to the hospital together?"

Quintin drove, while Freddie and I sat in the back seat.

He kept nuzzling his fluffy head against my neck, making me feel way too warm.

His nose pressed against my collarbone, his breath hot and tickling my skin.

For someone so big and burly, he was acting all clingy, whining, "I want a hug."

My back was drenched in sweat, hurting and burning up from the heat too.

Maybe it was just misery loving company, so I didn't shove him off. Instead, I wrapped my arms around him, holding him gently.

Chaim kept calling me, and I wanted to pick up, but every time I tried to move, Freddie would start fussing and latch onto me even more.

All I could do was watch as the calls got disconnected over and over.

But once I hugged him, Freddie started acting like a total brat and just wouldn't let go.

Even when I had to get a CT scan, he still wouldn't let go.

"Can we do it together? I'll hold you, okay?" he whined.

He had a jagged scar trailing from the corner of his eye. Word was, back in his freshman year, he acted way too cocky and got singled out by some local thugs, a whole gang of them jumped him.

In the end, some of those guys got messed up for life, but Freddie just walked away with that one scar on his face.

It was faded now, but still looked pretty scary.

Right now, he was staring at me with those pitiful puppy eyes, his blush turning into tear streaks, like he'd start bawling if I turned him down.

No way we could get a CT scan with him glued to me like that.

But skipping the CT wasn't an option.

The doc said odds were, it was probably cancer.

I sighed, about to steel myself and shove him off, when a bright voice suddenly cut in from nearby.

"The person ahead hasn't shown up yet. Can we go first? The dorm's gonna close if it gets too late," a girl called out.

"Yeah, I fell during marching practice. The doctor said I should get a CT scan to check which bone I messed up," she explained.

The doctor talked with her for a moment, then headed over to us.

"Is 46 still getting the scan or not? If not, I'll let 47 go ahead," the doctor said.

Chaim helped Alayna sit down, then followed the doctor's gaze over to us.

Before our eyes met, I buried myself in Freddie's embrace, hiding under his shadow.

I mumbled under my breath, "Let them go first. We'll wait our turn."

The doctor nodded and grinned at Chaim. "Young couples these days are glued together even at the hospital. Are you two together as well?"

Alayna tightened her grip on Chaim's arm and nodded firmly. "Yep."

The doctor chuckled. "Your boyfriend carried you all the way from campus? He sure treats you well."

Alayna blushed, her cheeks turning red.

Chaim was on the phone, gave her a quick frown, but didn't say anything to deny it.

I hid myself deeper in Freddie's embrace, clutching my phone to stop it from buzzing.

I covered my mouth, sobbing into my hand, struggling to catch my breath.

After the test results came back, I curled up on the hospital bench, arms wrapped tightly around myself.

I just sat there, dazed, my eyes unfocused and lost.

Freddie had sobered up by then, sitting next to me with his wild white hair all fluffed up, looking like a puff of cotton candy.

The tips of his ears were red.