Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It wasn't easy to lie to Pidge. That's one reason she considered her autism to be a gift: it was easy to tell if someone wasn't truthful. Or literal.

This would come in handy, but in the most unusual of ways. Especially today.

She was sitting on the stairs, mainly because her crutches were downstairs and it was too much of a hassle to go up or down stairs with them. She saw her dad on the phone, and so she tried to look busy by looking at the jade green cast on her left ankle. That was before she unintentionally paid attention to the conversation.

"We'd like to meet for online classes to see our options."

...what?

"...surgery the day of finals..."

There was nothing anyone told her about an upcoming surgery.

"Yes, the 15th works. 10am?"

So, she tried to get this straight, or as straight as she could get it for being ace. She was to sign up for online classes? This wasn't in her plans. Unless she was failing a class and no one was telling her. But they would tell her, right?

Luckily, her dad saw her as soon as he got off the phone and went to talk to her.

"Hey, kiddo. You didn't hear any of that convo, did you?"

Katie rubbed her lower back, indicating that the pain had flared up again. "Not much. Just something about online classes. Dad, am I failing?"

"No. I talked to your teachers, and you're doing wonderfully. Something came up, and you'll have to miss some class."

"What a surprise." Pidge sighed sarcastically.

"Well, this is a good something. It'll help you in the long run." He handed her her crutches. "We're ordering pizza for dinner. What do you want on yours?"

"Olives. Definently olives. And green peppers."

The two stood up from the bottom stair.

"Jesus, Katie. You are my child, no doubt about it." 

Chapter Text

She didn't want her school's lunch anyways. But, she also didn't want to sit with her guidance counselor. It was a dilemma that she couldn't win.

She sat fairly close to the computer used. To her, it seemed to be no different than the others. However, since it was used by someone with a lot of power, it didn't open for a week.

That's not what she was for here. Not in the slightest.

She had decided on 2 online classes: American Literature and Medical Studies II, when her dad finally broke the news.

"So, there's a reason we're doing this." He said. "After you do your finals, you're getting surgery for your back."

She didn't know what to say. Sure, her back bothered her a lot, but she didn't want to have to miss school to correct it.

In the end, however, she simply just said: "Ok. Thanks."

Chapter Text

Of course she was stressed. Who wouldn't be stressed around this time of year? Midterms, evals for the dance squad, a vocal competition in February, surgery right after midterms... at this point, the only thing she was looking forward to was getting her cast off tomorrow.

After the phone call on New Year's Day, she was curious. But with the meeting today confirming the call, it just added to her stress.

Thankfully, she had a boyfriend who could tell and hopefully make her feel better. Lance just had a thing for relieving stress. Whether it was his magic massages or his corny jokes, Lance always knew just the thing.

He found her in Independent Study Block with her books spread out and her head on a pile of papers. He took a seat next to her.

"Hey, Paami (Sweetheart). How's it going?"

"Not well." she groaned into her binder. "I am so stressed right now."

"I didn't see you at lunch. Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine. I just had a convo with my counselor. I'm taking online classes to fill grad requirements." 

"That's cool. Why, though?"

At this point, Lance's best friend, Hunk, had found the table and joined the two.

"I'm having surgery. Again." Pidge said, almost on the verge of tears. "I just found out."

"What's it for?" Hunk asked curiously.

"My stupid spine. Scoliosis is a pain in the asshole and I hate it."

"Oh. I'm also having surgery. I'm getting my tonsils and adenoids out along with getting ear tubes in. Not as major as yours, but still not pleasant to think about."

She looked up from her binder. "When are you having your surgery?"

"January 25. At about 6pm. You?"

"Same day, one hour earlier. However, I'll be under for 6 hours. And my recovery lasts a full damn year. So not looking forward to it."

"Oh my god. Well, I wish you luck." Hunk said with a warm smile.

"Same for you." Pidge replied.

"Also, umm, sorry for giving you strep before Thanksgiving."

"No hard feelings. Remember before winter break?"

"Oh, yeah. You got an extra day of break! Lucky duck!"

"Geez," Lance mumbled, "get a room you two."

"Are you... implying something?" Pidge asked, rolling her eyes.

Chapter Text

While she was excited to get her cast off today, she wasn't excited for the other appointment she had. 

All it was was a simple overview of her medical history, but that wasn't what she was mad about. She was mad about the fact that she didn't find out about this surgery until yesterday. 

But, all in all, everything checked out. She would have more appointments soon to do some more testing and to further explain the procedure. 

**************************************

Pidge texted Hunk after she got home. At this point, she just wanted to pass out from her back pain, but she trucked on. She just needed someone to talk to. 

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Pidge: Sup

Hunk: Not much. Just making some sapa sui with my moms. U?

Pidge: I just got home from my first pre-op appointment. 

Hunk: Rip. I don't have any until the week before mine.

Pidge: You lucky bastard. 

Hunk: But, my mom bought me this book for my surgery. The only issue is, it's meant for little kids. 

Pidge: RIP IN FUCKING PISS! That sounds like something Matt would do to me, in all honesty. 

Hunk: Oh dude! 

Pidge: Yeah... but he is my brother, so he's allowed to get away with that. 

Hunk: I wish I had an older sibling. Sounds like fun. 

Pidge: Oldest or only?

Hunk: Oldest. I have twin siblings. They're 7. So, my guess is that they'd be about your height. 

Pidge: Fuck you. 

Hunk: I'M KIDDING LOL! 

Pidge: Bruh. 

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She had never been more jealous of one person in her life. But this had her curious. 

She could feel his warmth through those messages. The way he seemed to show is actual face through words on a screen. 

Could this be love?

Chapter Text

They were almost done when she came home. All that had to be moved was the chair to her desk.

When Pidge came home, she couldn't believe her eyes. Why was most of the furniture in her room gone?

"Hey Pidge!" Matt hollered from the downstairs room. "Right here!"

She followed him into the newly decorated room, and was kind of impressed. It looked almost exactly like her room.

"Dad said that he noticed that you might struggle with going up and down stairs after the procedure. So, he proposed that we move your room down here. That way, you have a familiar space so you won't be scared." Matt noted.

Pidge couldn't believe it. All of this effort.

Chapter Text

Lance understood Pidge's frustrations. Love is complicated and stressful, especially when you have multiple people that you could see in your future. He had a crush on Hunk since the 7th grade and he could tell that Hunk had grown feelings for Pidge without leaving Lance out of his mind.

Pidge was lucky to be able to Skype Lance whenever she wanted. Having a boyfriend like him made her worst days just a bit more bearable. They were always there for each other. When one had a meltdown earlier in the day, the other would provide cuddles and rainforest sounds. Sometimes, they shared similar special interests, if not the same ones (ex: the time that both of them were oddly interested in molecular biology. They're still not sure how that happened). When they stimmed, it was almost always in unison.

Matt found her Skyping Lance and decided to listen in on the convo. And, needless to say, he was surprised.

To his knowledge, this was only the 2nd time that she had ever felt romantic attraction. The 1st was to Lance. It took her almost a year to confess to him. It would be less awkward within that year, as Matt began dating Lance's brother, Luis.

He had never heard of Hunk before the group chat after the car accident. But he seemed pleasant enough.

**************************************

After hanging up, Matt sat down onto Pidge's bed. He shot her a look that said, "Woah. And I thought my high school experiences was rough."

She glared back, almost furious that he had listened in on her Skype call. But later, she got all soft and fell face forward onto the bed, almost ready to scream out of frustration.

"Polyamory is a thing. You 3 should try it." Matt snarked at his younger sister.

"It's not a cure for relationship issues." Pidge retorted. "Besides, I don't know how to approach it without being awkward. After all, I'm still in high school."

"Good point. Did you have a plan to get Hunk's attention?" he asked.

"Maybe play something on the ukulele?"

"God, if someone played ukulele for me, I'd let them fuck me so hard that I wouldn't be able to move for a week."

"MATT. Not in front of my ice chips."

"Oh. Sorry."

Chapter Text

She held her ukulele close to her as she walked to the commons. Normally, if it was a large crowd, she didn't mind whipping out her uke and playing a couple of bops during lunch. However, knowing that this was for one specific person, she was more than a little nervous. And that person wasn't Lance, her boyfriend of 3 years. 

She walked over to Lance, who knew exactly what she was intending to do. He hoisted her up onto the table and left straight afterwards.

As soon as Pidge knew that Lance wasn't looking, she began strumming.

F. C. A minor. G.

"It's just another night, and I'm staring at the moon." She quietly sang.

"I saw a shooting star and thought of you." As the song went on, her confidence grew.

All of a sudden, she heard a distinct baritone voice join her as she sang, "I sang a lullaby by the waterside and knew if you were here, I'd sing to you. You're on the other side as the skyline splits in two."

Her heart began racing. She had no idea that he also liked Ed Sheeran, let alone "All of the Stars".

He, on the other hand, was flattered by the fact the she knew his favorite song.

"I'm miles away from seeing you. I can see the stars from America. I wonder, do you see them, too?"

##################################

Well, that went over better than she thought it would have.

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Chapter Text

Finally, after multiple days of tests and poking and prodding and doubt, her surgery was finally approved and confirmed. 

There was just one final step. To sign the consent form. 

She happily signed. 

Afterwards, she heard the usual pre surgery steps, but she listened more intensively. Maybe it was the knowledge that this time, it would take at least a full year to fully recover. Or, this was one she actively wanted. After all, no one wanted back pain for 2 straight years. Especially when it turned out to be undiagnosed scoliosis. 

Whatever it was, she was just more sure. 

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Hunk, on the other hand, was low-key bored at his appointment. He kinda felt like they underexplained the procedure to him. 

Then again, he had spent a lot of time hearing about other people going through the same procedures. He was about 7 when he first heard about it. Now, here he was, 11 years later, about to undergo the same thing. 

He had hoped that it wouldn't be as miserable now that he was much older. 

However, this brought on a new wave of anxiety. Now that he was officially an adult, there was a higher risk of complications. This, understandably worried him to no end. He didn't want to end up dying from something that was supposed to help him. No one did. 

But, as he left, he reminded himself that the chances of dying were far too low to worry about. 

And, he had people who would be there. Some actually there, while others in spirit. 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Hunk: Nervous for tomorrow?

Pidge: Of course. But, I do have an excuse to wear pajamas to school during my finals. 

(Pidge has added Lance to the group chat)

Lance: Why was I added again?

Pidge: Moral support. Plus, there's something you're not really saying. I know what you're talking about, but he doesn't.  

Lance: ....well, for that, a conversation in person might work better. Hunk, what's your favorite kind of flower? 

Hunk: I like calla lillies. What about you?

Lance: Yellow acacias. 

Hunk: Pidge? You?

Pidge: What about me?

Hunk: Your favorite flower?

Pidge: White crysanthemums... call me cliche. 

Hunk: Hey! Crysanthemums are lovely little flowers! 

Lance: Why are you asking?

Hunk: It's a surprise...

Chapter Text

Hunk had a bouquet sitting in his backpack made of yellow acacias, blue violets, and jasmines. Lance had one in his dance bag made of calla lillies, white clovers, and a singular red rose. Neither knew about the other.

Oddly enough, Ryan Kinkade walked by and saw the bouquets. Even though he was a man of few words, he could tell romantic tension when it was there. He inched closer to Lance, setting his breakfast down.

"That's quite a lovely bouquet." he whispered into Lance's ear.

"Fucking-" Lance buried his head in his hands. "STOP. Dude."

"Just pointing it out. Who's it for?"

Lance looked longingly at Hunk, who was enjoying a packet of Coco Puffs submerged in low fat milk.

"Hmm. Nice." And with that, Kinkade slid off into a crew of kids with super nice cameras.

Somehow, that gave Lance the courage he needed. He grabbed the bouquet and held it out to Lance.

"Hey Hunk..."

Hunk looked closer at the bouquet, then seemed to get the hint. 

"Will you be my boyfriend?"

He dropped his Cocoa Puffs.

"HELL YES!" he yelled, reaching into his bag. "I was going to ask you the same thing!"

Lance stared at the bouquet in awe. He didn't quite know how Hunk knew his favorite flowers, but it was a nice gesture nonetheless.

"FUCKING GAY!" A kid from a table close to them yelled.

"Griffin, shut the fuck up. Let them be." Kinkade fired back.

**************************************

At this point, Pidge didn't want to go home, but all of her finals were done early, so what was the point in staying?

Matt walked into the office. He could tell she was upset about leaving early, but didn't know what to do about it.

"Hey," he said. "Sorry if the car smells like In-N-Out. I bought Luis some lunch. He's in shotgun."

"Lucky bastard." she muttered.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

The back was comfortable, but not enough to stop her worries about rods being put into her spine. She looked forward.

Matt was a decent driver. He kept his eyes on the road. But, she noticed something else.

He had his left hand on the steering wheel and his right in Luis' left. Luis had his right hand around a to-go cup filled with grape Sprite.

How she couldn't wait to get this surgery over with.

Chapter Text

The Holts were never too happy to be in a waiting room, but this time, they were a bit more calm.

Pidge wasn't so anxious. She wasn't arriving on a stretcher wondering where she was and what happened. Colleen was much more calm, though her eyes reflected a lot of internal anxieties. Matt was high as a kite, though no one could smell his breath. Thank God for the miracle that is weed brownies. Sam was calm and collected, probably because of the scientific magazine he found.

Odd. You don't find too many science magazines in surgery waiting rooms. They're mostly gossip or fashion.

You also don't find vintage video game consoles, especially ones like the Nintendo Entertainment System or the SG-1000. But that's what Pidge found.

She actually only found them because Hunk was loading up the original "Castlevania". As she sat down in the bean bag chair next to him, he offered her the 2nd controller.

She denied, but was obviously flattered.

##################################

Finally, after an hour of spectating the best game of "Castlevania" she had ever seen, her time came.

"Hey, Pidge?" Hunk asked as he grabbed her much smaller and paler wrist gently. "Real quick. A little good luck charm."

"Ok..." she muttered, not knowing what to expect.

He bent down and lightly kissed her cheek.

Her hand cupped the cheek that was kissed so delicately and then moved her hand closer to her lips.

"Good luck." Hunk said again.

Chapter Text

It was 1am. Technically, he was supposed to be asleep and resting his voice. But, something compelled him to the post-anesthesia care unit.

His mom walked by his side, holding a bouquet of white crysanthemums, blue salvias, white clovers, angelicas, and asters. Hunk knew a thing or 2 about flowers and what they meant, so the bouquets held that much more sensitivity.

As he walked closer, he noticed Matt standing to the left of the bed. He was on his phone, either looking at memes or texting Luis.

Pidge had a cup of ice chips on the table next to her. She was just waking up, as noted by her honey colored eyes fluttering open. She looked at Matt with a warm smile.

"Matt. Come here." Pidge whispered. "I have to tell you something."

Matt scooted his seat closer to his sister's bed. "What?" he groaned in frustration.

"Hunk kissed me." she said happily. "On the cheek, not on the lips."

"Oh my god," Matt muttered as he put his face in his hands. After a second, he looked up and saw Hunk holding a bouquet.

"Oh fuck."

"Hey. Can I ask Pidge something?" Hunk asked sheepishly.

"Sure. It's 1am. How can today get weirder?"

"Pidge? Will you be my girlfriend?"

"....what the fuck?"

Pidge took a minute to process what happened, but finally she answered with, "Hell yea!"

"The trio has been sealed!"

Matt looked confused, yet happy.

Chapter Text

It was the day after finals. Keith just wanted to relax, but he was slung into other plans. His phone rang at about 10am, and he was stuck on the other line with a certain Cuban bisexual.

"Hey, man? Could you give me a ride to the hospital? My boyfriend and my girlfriend both had surgery last night."

"Wait. Boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Hunk, Pidge and I are in a polyamorous thing. It's lit. Anyways, I need a ride to the Garrison Medical Center."

"Fine." Keith groaned. "What time do you want me to pick you up?"

"Noon?"

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

At noon, Keith was sitting outside of Lance's house in his used 2008 Mazda CX-7 Sport.

Approximately 5 minutes later, Lance walked outside wearing a crop top colored to look like the bisexual flag, ripped mom jeans, his trademark blue converse, and a light grey hooded sweatshirt tied around his waist.

"Dude." Keith said as he opened the passenger door. "Are you wearing a crop top? It's 66°."

"Shut the fuck up, mullet. I look cute." Lance snarked back. "Now. Off to Jamba Juice."

"Why?"

"I can't start my day without an Açaí Super Antioxidant(TM) Smoothie."

"Did you just say 'trademarked' out loud?"

"It's in the name. Don't worry. The cashier yells at me about it too."

"Fine. Where's my gas money?"

Lance forked over a $20 bill.

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"Hey, hun! I'm at Jamba Juice. You want anything?"

The sound of something crunching suddenly made Lance rethink putting his girlfriend on speaker.

"Lance. My surgery ended almost 13 hours ago. I'm still on ice chips from the PACU. So, no thanks."

"Alright. You could have just told me that. However, could you stop by Hunk's and bring him some tomato soup from Panera? He called me crying because his moms don't have tomato soup."

"Sure. I mean, I owe him a lunch date anyways. I'll be over in a bit."

"K. See ya."

**************************************

It was colder than Lance expected in Pidge's room, but then again, what did he expect from a hospital room?

"You have a sweater. Wear it." Pidge snarked at Lance. Keith glared in approval.

Lance moved towards his girlfriend's bed, placing the sweater over her head.

"Aren't you cold, Kate?"

"1: Never call me that again. 2: I'm anemic. Me being cold should be a given."

"Yeah." Keith mentioned. "Shiro and Adam bring me over there every Christmas, and every Christmas, she finds some reason to torment me with her ice hands."

"My family doesn't even celebrate Christmas." Pidge said angrily.

"Oh yeah. I forgot your family is Jewish."

"Mhm."

"Is that why none of your family is here?"

"Yeah. Low-key sucks, but oh well. It's life."

Chapter Text

Keith stared out the window. He was wondering where his older brother, Shiro, was taking him, as Lance and Hunk were in the back seat with him. However, as Matt climbed into the passenger seat, it all became more clear.

As they drove on, they jammed out to songs of the 80s, like "Africa" by Toto, "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell, and "Call Me" by Blondie. It did seem like the perfect day for 80s pop, no one denied that. Though, then again, it was always a good time to bless the rains down in Africa.

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It was quite a shock when they arrived. She wasn't there.

"Where is she?" Keith asked.

"I'll look."

"Hunk," Lance put a hand on his shoulder.

"You wanna come with?"

"Sure."

That left Shiro, Matt, and Keith in the empty room. That's when Matt had an idea.

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Matt wasn't too surprised, but he also was. It tured out that Pidge was simply talking to a close friend, who wound up there last night.

"Hey!" Matt yelled, tapping on the window. "We're here!"

Pidge turned her attention back to her friend.

"Text me?"

"Yeah, sure."

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Somehow, all of them were allowed in the teen rec room. And somehow, they were all content with playing "Candy Land". It's not like they minded. They were just glad to hang out all together.

The last time that happened was the second to last day of Hanukkah. Shiro only remembered because Pidge kicked everyones asses in dreidel, and Keith watched the whole thing with a mischievous grin.

Chapter Text

After 4 total days, Pidge was ready to go back home. She was sick and tired of having to walk around for a small portion of the day and then having to rest for the rest of it.

Oh well. At least stairs weren't as daunting now.

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Sam sat in the waiting room with Matt, who was flipping through a professional camera that he had. Sam didn't pay attention to the camera, though. He was just finishing up the paperwork needed to get them out.

Matt was looking over the most recent video he had, which was Pidge getting up the rest of the stairset provided by PT. He was surprised that they let him film that. Or bits of the actual procedure. But, this was important. He had something in store for his little sister.

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Eventually, Sam finished the paperwork. When he brought it up, the lady at the front desk could tell he had something to ask.

"It'll be a minute to process this, sir." she said.

"No. That's not what I wanted to ask." Sam looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Do you have any gurneys?"

"We have like 20. Last I checked, though, we're not selling any."

"...Do you have any that are broken?"

She didn't answer right away.

"Actually, we have 1. I can lead you to it real quick."

"If I give you $20, can I keep it after I fix it?"

"I don't see why not. We needed to replace it anyways."

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Some odd minutes later, Sam walked up to Pidge's room with the fixed gurney.

"Where did you find that?" Pidge asked.

"No time for questions. Get on. We're heading to the car."

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At first, Colleen was a bit shocked to see a gurney rolling through her house, especially since she happened to be knitting. But, knowing her husband, the shock faded away.

Chapter Text

January 28, 2 pm

So. I'm home now. Am I excited to be recovering for a full year?

FUCK NO!

I'm already bored and I just got home.

################################

January 29, 10 am

Honestly, all I wanted was a cup of coffee. Can I get one, though?

No!

All of the mugs are on the top shelf. And I can't jump up onto the counter to get them!

Plus, mom and dad are at work and Matt isn't even paying attention. He's working on some important project for a friend of his.

Oh well. At least I can get some ice chips.

Ice chips for breakfast while working on an online class. The perfect morning.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

February 8, 4:45 pm

So...
Good news: I'm going back to school on Monday! Everything's looking good and I got the bandages removed! Mom took me to Lush and got me a bath bomb called "Rocket Science".

Bad news: I can't stand or walk for more than 5 minutes, so I kinda have to use a wheelchair. I'm kind of confused on that. Then again, my spine was pretty fucked up and I'm already a high fall risk. So, oh well.

I just can't wait to come back to school.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

February 10, 12pm

I literally just woke up. Oh well. At least I slept through the Sabath. So, that's neat.

Anyways, I have the best boyfriends a girl could ask for. They both just woke me up with Lox and Bagels (basically, a Jewish eggs Benedict). Lance knows that I love it, and Hunk learned how to make it, so he made breakfast for my whole family.

Lance also put on "Strawberry and Chocolate", which he got Hunk in to fairly recently. It's one of his favorite movies ever, his and Veronica's.

Oh, I can only imagine how Veronica will react to finding out that Lance has her DVD.

}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

February 11, 7:10am

STOP PUSHING ME DOWN THE STAIRS YOU PIDGEOTTO LOOKING ASSLAMP. WASN'T THE WHEELCHAIR A BIG ENOUGH CLUE YOU DENSE MOTHERFUCKING DICKRUG.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

February 11, 12:21pm

At this point, I'm not surprised that Hunk has a stylophone with him, but it still comes as a shock.

Oh well. "Jerk It Out" by the Caesars is a tried and true jam.

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February 11, 12:25pm

Ok. Before anything drastic happens, which I'm sure it will, I have to tell y'all a story.

So, when I was a freshman, my folks told me, "Make friends!" The thing is, though, none of the kids liked me. 2 of my teachers took pity for me, though. And that's how I end up in teacher drama.

There are only 2 teachers that I'm friends with, though.

The first one is Mrs. Daibazaal, the wife of the principal. Or, Haggar, as a lot of people call her. Normally, she's kinda chill. But, something's up. She told me that her insurance stopped covering this experimental drug called Quintessence, which is the only thing that's been keeping her terminal illness and chronic pain at bay.

The other one is Mr. Altea, but he likes to be called Coran or "The Gorgeous Man", but I've only ever heard his husband call him the second one. Btw, his husband works here in the math department and his step-daughter is in my grade. Awkward....

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

February 12, 7am

Here we go again.

Bad news: One of my arms is broken. Not the 1st time this has happened.

Good news: It's not my dominant arm.

==================================

March 28, 12:22pm

This past month has been kinda dull, hence the lack of entries. I've just been... worried. And today, something is extra off. I've been on edge all day, but I don't know why.

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March 28, 2:30pm

I cried on the way home. Matt let me sit in the car for some time after to gather my emotions.

I guess it finally hit me.

I'm not ready to say goodbye.

##################################

March 28, 10pm

I saw her for the last time today. I couldn't stand seeing her so sick, and so frail...

She hugged me for a bit. She told me how I was almost like a daughter to her.

I cried.

We both cried.

When I left, I saw a kid who was obviously going through chemo treatments. I couldn't go any farther. I knew my parents were in the waiting room, but I couldn't bring myself to move.

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March 29, 2:10am

She's gone.

She's really gone.

Her son called me earlier.

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March 29, 8am

Mom and Dad are letting me take today off. I cried for 4 hours straight, so they knew.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

March 29, 3:30pm

How to scare the hell out of your parents:
1)Fall flat on your face
2)Take a 3 hour nap in that spot
3)Profit

(Note: This was not intentional)

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April 3, 12am

I'm 16 now. Finally!

Now what?

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April 8, 7am

Back at school. Not too happy about it, though. Someone told me, "You're dressed like someone died." Yeah. Someone did die.

Asshole.

Hunk got me hot cocoa, though. Love him.

I need to pay my boyfriends back.

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April 8, 10:30am

So, my friend's son, Lotor, found me earlier at lunch. I could only tell that it was him because of the strand of white hair in front of his face.

He hugged me. And he trembled a bit. Almost like he was holding back tears.

I had no trouble holding back mine.

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

April 11, 1:40pm

Had a quick chat with my therapist. He emphathized with me a bit, noting that his wife's dad passed too, although it wasn't from a terminal illness. It was from a workplace accident.

He sued.

And he also wrote that maybe I should be on an antidepressant now, what with my panic and just overall blah feelings colliding into each other like a minivan getting rammed by a train.

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April 11, 6:30pm

I went to the wake. It was the first step for me to establish some closure.

Until it wasn't.

I went up to the open coffin. As soon as I put my hand up on the side, it tipped. Not sure why, but it hurt even more than it would for someone in my biological family.

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April 18, 10:20am

I'm not sure why, but these antidepressants are making me feel... fuzzy.

Like TV static.

I can't put a finger on why, but I take comfort in knowing that nothing serious has happened that.

I'm a hit or miss with prescriptions. They work or they screw me up more than the original issue did.

And I guess that's why

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April 18, 11am

Fuck.

Well, not the first time that's happened, but I feel worse than normal.

They called my mom.

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April 19, 3am

Is this what death feels like?

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April 19, 12pm

Ok, so I woke up in an ambulance at about 3:30. My mom told me the time only because she was telling my dad and brother.

Anyways, they took me off of those meds, but not before making me stay up all night to be tired enough for an EEG. And are making me stay the whole day here in the hospital.

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April 26, 12pm

Update: I don't have any seizure disorders or permanent brain damage from the side effects of my meds. So, that's a plus.

Now, I just need my brother to stop smoking his weed where I can smell it and I'll be elated.

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April 29, 10am

Closure: noun

clo·sure | \ˈklō-zhər 

: an often comforting or satisfying sense of finality
victims needing closure
also : something (such as a satisfying ending) that provides such a sense

Today, I got a slip of paper. It said 2 things:
1)I am officially graduating Garrison High School.
2)My Connections class has a 100% graduation rate for all of the graduating class.

It's what she would have wanted for us.

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April 29, 12:25pm

The temp teacher couldn't decide between a pizza party or a doughnut party.

Doughnuts from LIOR THE BAKER and pizza from LaBella Pizzeria.

Is she Jewish too?

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May 1, 1:30pm

With all of the shit that Lance, Hunk, and I are pulling, I don't know how we're not suspended yet.

Just today, Lance called out of school to hang out in the school wearing the mascot costume. At random times, no matter where he was, he would T-pose throughout the entirety of "Despacito". I had a program on my tablet that would hook up to a Bluetooth speaker that was connected to the mascot costume. Hunk connected the speaker to the costume.

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May 3, 11am

Did I just hallucinate a plan for the senior talent show with Lotor? That might explain the ukulele tabs on my bed.

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May 3, 5pm

Update: Guess who's in the hospital because they stressed themselves out to a point of a fever?

Ya girl!

Also, Keith is here because of his food allergy and Adam wants to sue the school for negligence.

Keith also told me that he caught a freshman sucking a senior's dick in the art room.

...what the fuck?

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May 4, 12am

Hehe

It's Star Wars day.

May the 4th be with you.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

May 4, 12pm

Lotor dropped by. When I asked him if I hallucinated our whole plan, he said, "no."

So, it seems that I have to absolutely learn "House of Gold" by May 31.

Fuckin' A.

##################################

May 5, 4am

They don't really tell you how cool hospital socks are, but they are.

Also, the coffee got worse. It used to just taste like water, but now it tastes like sewage and gym mats.

=================================

May 10, 10am

So far, this song is coming along ok. It's a familiar song. Too familiar.

It's still a cool song, though.

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May 13, 7:45am

So, Lotor just handed me these older magazines that his dad had from when he was younger. I was told, "He thought you might want to see these. There's a lot she never told you."

Then again, there's a lot that she didn't remember.

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May 13, 6pm

A close friend of mine, Nadia, just told me that she has a crush on me. I wish I knew how to react.

#################################

May 14, 4am

So, my friend's husband texted and asked if Lotor gave me the magazines, yet. I said, "Yeah. Don't know why you gave them to me, though."

Read through them. Asked him, "Is there a point to this?"

He said, "Look on page 20, in the May 1995 edition."

I turned to there.

"She was 16. I remember seeing her and thinking, 'Wow. She's hot.'"

I didn't know what he was talking about. And then I saw the name. Honerva.

"She was... a model?"

"Yeah. I think she told me that she wanted to do more pin up when she got older, but with the illness, she lost a lot of weight, and they never hired her again."

"Oh no..."

"Yeah..."

♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤

May 14, 5am

I have no idea what to do with this information.

*************************************

May 15, 2pm

Diet Coke tastes like ass. Change my mind.

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May 15, 7:18pm

GOD FUCKING DAMNIT

MATT

STOP SMOKING WEED IN THE GODDAMN HOUSE

I CAN'T FUCKING BREATHE

FUCK YOU AND YOUR SNOOP DOGG SMELLING ASS

I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL

♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧

May 15, 7:30pm

Jk. Love ya.

On an unrelated note: Who put my rescue inhaler in the bathroom? By the perfume?

THE PERFUME OF ALL PLACES.

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May 16, 8pm

Mom just assigned chores for everyone for tomorrow. And by tomorrow, she means that everyone sorts their laundry, including shoes, tonight so that she can wash them all and do a whole bunch of other cleaning tomorrow before the sun sets.

As for me, I just have to tidy up my room and wash the dishes.

Hehe.

Suckers.

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May 22, 12pm

Normally, I wouldn't have considered coming to the last senior party of the year, but Lance insisted on me coming with him and Hunk.

So, here I am. Wearing a salt white dress, sitting on Lance's left side in the auditorium as our baby pictures are submitted for everyone to see.

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May 23, 10:35am

I'M GOING TO PROM, MOTHERFUCKERS!

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May 28, 7am

Of course my cap and gown don't fit. That's just how things work nowadays.

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May 30, 5pm

Senior showcase. Here we go.

I loved dancing with this team, and the memories I made.

I've met so many people, made so many friends.

When I'm fully recovered, I will do more with my dancing.

_________________________________________

June 1, 9pm

Bruh, prom was such a blast. They played "Hit Me Baby, One More Time" and Lance dragged Hunk and I out on the dance floor and we just shredded it. Completely.

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June 5, 12pm

The last prank of the year is all planned out.

We're skipping the graduation rehearsal and taking a night on the town. Hunk's driving us around to all of our old favorite places. We also have tickets to see a new movie and reservations at the roller rink.

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June 6, 11:30pm

Here it is. My last entry as a high schooler.

The night was so much fun.

We went to the local Chinese buffet to eat before the movie. I got dunked in the huge chocolate fountain by Hunk while Lance took a selfie of it all.

The movie we saw was so bad that we couldn't stop laughing. What is it with Hollywood and poorly written love stories?

I'm surprised that I was allowed on the rink in my chair without skates. There's also a certain vibe to 70s disco that can't be recreated in writing.

And with all of that, I close the book on my high school career.

Chapter Text

It was 6:30am when Pidge was woken up by her mom. The smell of coffee and flowered perfume pervaded the air, waking her up.

"Hey, mom?" she asked. "Why did you wake me up?"

Colleen paused for a moment, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Today's a big day, honey."

"Yeah. I figured. Not everyone gets an opportunity to graduate from high school at 16."

"Well, not only that."

Katie paused as she began to sit up. What was she missing?

"Honey..." Colleen sat on the bed next to her daughter. "It was 10 years ago today." She held out her phone to Katie.

It was a photo of her, at the bright young age of 6, sitting in an ever-familiar room in the Garrison Medical Center's pediatric unit. The poor child had no hair, as evidenced by a night-blue bandana with stars drawn all over in Sharpie. In her small hands, she held a whiteboard with the words, "Officially cancer free!" in magenta marker.

Pidge nearly choked up at the memory.

"Jeez. That was 10 years ago?"

"Yeah. Time flies fast, huh?"

"It sure does."

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She sat at her usual table in the cafeteria with her phone in her hands.

"What are you staring at?" Lance slyly asked.

"Shut your fucking mouth. My cousin should be calling me any second now."

"Your cousin?"

"...Lance. You've met my cousin Mordecai. The one from Israel?"

"Him! Yeah! I'll get ya some lunch, I'll be back. Tell him I said hi!"

"Ok. See ya in a bit, hun!"

As Lance left, she went back to waiting for the video call from her cousin.

Eventually, the phone rang and she answered.

"Pigeon! How're you?"

"Hey, Mord! I'm good. Just waiting for Lance to get back with whatever he's buying today. What about you? How's everyone?"

"Oh, they're good. School, work, the usual. We're all proud of you, though! If we could have all come to America to see you, we would have!"

"Oh, I bet! Go back to work though, before your boss catches you! I don't wanna have to talk to him again!"

"All right, all right, you know best, youngin. I'll chat again next week! See ya then!"

As he hung up, Pidge couldn't help but feel a bit more sentimental and thankful for her family.

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The football field was filled to the brim with budding young adults and the families that were cheering them on.

Hunk, Pidge, and Lance all looked at each other with glee. Pretty soon, they would officially be on the road to official adulthood.

They listened intently as one by one, they each walked up to the stage to receive their diplomas.

And then came her time.

"Katrina Holt. Honor Medallion."

She stood to make the brief walk to receive her diploma.

The audience sat in silence, but it wasn't sad. In fact, they were all quite happy for her.

Only Matt began the acknowledgements and began a slow clap.

And soon, the rest followed.

Eventually, the audience erupted in applause, and Pidge had never felt more proud in her life.

《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》

Pidge didn't want a graduation party, nor did she think she would have to plan for one.

But alas, here she was at a local pizza place with her family, Lance, and Hunk.

For the most part, it was rather chill. They all ate pizza and chatted about their plans for the future and summer break.

Lance had plans to visit his family in Cuba, and he and his family would leave in about July.

Of course, Pidge had plans to do an internship with the Garrison and to spend the next couple of years doing proper college prep.

Hunk also wanted to do the internship, but also to spend some quality time with his family over the summer.

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The car pulled up in front of the graveyard. Lance had opted to carry Pidge to the rest of their destination, as the walk there would be painful and tiring, especially in the dark spring night.

When they finally got there, Lance sat Pidge down in front of the tombstone of one of her closest friends, arguably even a second mother figure for her.

She knew that she wouldn't survive to graduation, and that saddened her greatly.

She had no words. The only thing she could do was hold her hand to her heart and cry a silent tear. Lance had his hand on her shoulder.

Eventually, she said something, most likely to her deceased mother figure.

"...We made it."