Bunny.

“Give me that bunny!” I screamed as I tried my best to snatch my favorite stuffed toy from Nick’s strong arms. He was taller than me and I looked like a silly child reaching for the stars.

“I will if you would answer my question.” He said, smiling.

“I don’t have to answer anything and I don’t have to give you anything coz that bunny is mine and you shouldn’t be taking things away from people just like that!” I snapped, once again trying to jump higher so I could reach him. I just bumped into his chest during the process. He would laugh every time.

“I won’t give this to you until you agree to answer my question. Come on, it’s just a question. Just one.” He snapped, tossing the bunny up in the air and catching it effortlessly like a pro.

I dropped my guard.

“No. You can keep the bunny if you like. I won’t answer any question, especially from you!” I shouted as I turned my back from him and walked towards the street to our house. I left my poor bunny with him, and he toyed with it even more to annoy me.

“Poor little bunny’s gonna be a chew bone for doggy!” He shouted before I was out of earshot.

I’ve hated him since we were young. We were neighbors since God knows when and it’s the only thing on earth that I hate more than mosquitoes.

He would always pick a fight, he would always do something to annoy me. He would always want me to surrender to him, He wants to win all the time.

We’re both grown ups now. He just wouldn’t stop. That bunny he took from me was the only childhood memory I have left of my father. I can’t believe how insensitive he could become.

I’ve let everything pass, I didn’t say a word when he told my boyfriend that I was seeing someone else, even if I wasn’t. Joe broke up with me because of some pictures Nick showed him, pictures that were obviously edited but Joe was so much of a bonehead to see that.

Now this.

“What harm can one question do?” I asked myself. Well, one question – coming from someone else would probably be harmless. But one question – in exchange of a special bunny – especially coming from Nick, means something I would regret later on.

I went to my room and buried my face on my pillow as tears started to fall from my eyes. I can’t believe how insensitive he could become! How dare he play with my only memory of my father… How dare he step on my emotions just like that… How dare he…

“Massie! Come here quick!!” I heard mom call from downstairs. I hurriedly got up from my bed and went downstairs.

There was an ambulance right in front of our house, our neighbors formed a little circle around Nick’s house. I went outside to look for Mom but she was no where in sight. I shoved my way into the little crowd and saw Nick’s Mom crying and some medics pulling out a stretcher.

There was Nick, with an oxygen mask covering his face. He was unconscious.

“What happened? What happened??!” I asked as soon as I was able to get a grip of what’s happening. Nick’s Mom went to ride in the ambulance, my mom tagging along with her.

“Come!” Mom shouted from the ambulance. I shook of the shock and hurried to ride in the ambulance with them.

On our way to the hospital, the medics were giving him first aid treatment. It was weird seeing him that way. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was just with him a couple of hours ago. It was all too sudden.

“He’s got cancer. We found out about it two years ago, he wouldn’t respond to treatments and he refused to tell anybody about it. He wanted to have a normal life,” Emily – Nick’s Mom said, crying.

“I saw him in his room, with a bunny in his hand and he was unconscious. I didn’t know what to do. It was too sudden.” she added.

Tears were falling down my eyes and I couldn’t help myself from feeling guilty of the last conversation I had with him. I couldn’t help but wonder what it is that he’s been wanting to ask me.

I looked at him again and suddenly, the paramedics were back in panic again. I saw one shook her head, and another medic checked Nick’s pulse and shooked her head again.

“Time of death, 3:40 pm.” said one medic.

Those words cut through me like a knife, I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at Emily and my Mom. It was too much for me to handle… too much for me to accept. How can one thing as this happen too fast and too shocking…. How…

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Massie! Wake up! Nick’s waiting for you downstairs!” said Rachel, my younger sister.

A dream? Was it just a dream? I wiped the tears from my eyes and checked myself in the mirror. Yes, it was a dream. I had to pinch myself to confirm it once more. It was a dream.

I hurriedly went downstairs and saw Nick…

With a bouquet of red roses arranged in such a perfect way that my bunny sticks out in the middle. He smiled at me. And for the first time ever, I saw Nick in a very different light.

“I wanted to ask you what your favorite flowers were. But I didn’t had the chance. I was hoping you’d like these…” He said.

“So that’s what you wanted to ask me this afternoon?”

“Yes.”

I slapped him in the face with my bunny out of disbelief.

“I want to ask you something too.” I said, trying to  look serious.

“Go ahead”

“Do you have cancer?” I asked.

“Cancer? Of course not. Why would I—-”

“Okay, shut up and kiss me. Or will you just stay there and wait for nothing?” I said, smiling – for the very first time – in front of Nick.

Advertisement