Dying and Everything in between

The metallic tang of vomit still lingered in Lucas Andrews' memory, a fittingly unpleasant marker for the start of his not-so-normal life. That night, losing his virginity in a stranger's car had been quickly overshadowed by a diagnosis that would reshape his reality: pancreatic cancer. Years later, at twenty-one, with only six months left, Lucas was a shell of his former self, his world reduced to the sterile confines of the hospital and the rhythmic drip of an IV.

His aunt Laura, a busy surgeon and his sole guardian, insisted he join a support group – a "daycare" for dying kids, as Lucas sarcastically called it. He resisted, preferring the bitter comfort of isolation, the pitying glances of others a constant reminder of his grim prognosis. But Laura was persistent, her hopeful smile a painful counterpoint to his despair.

Against his will, Lucas found himself roaming the hospital halls, trying to avoid the dreaded group meeting. A broken vending machine became the unlikely stage for an encounter with Joy Jones, a vibrant, infuriatingly cheerful girl who somehow managed to fix the machine and extract four Snickers bars, and then, to Lucas's dismay, introduce herself as his partner for the support group project. His carefully constructed walls felt like they were already crumbling.