English Paper 2

Section B [50 Marks]

No. 4 - I wish he would give me a second chance
by Qistina Sopian

     I wish he would give me a second chance. I wish he could listen to what I have to say. I wish he could listen to my 'excuse' and accept it as a true reason of why it happened, and not as something I chose. That's not me. I wish he would give me a second chance to make him see. Come back, please.

     It all happened when I first met him, at the school hallway. Only a single friend was around him. Helping him with his books. With the not so normal look, he seemed normal. Like he's having it, 'okay'. He had cancer. He's famous as 'a strong fighter' at our school. He had cancer around his left eye and it got worse. He had an operation and that left eye was removed and replaced with a glass. I don't really understand the procedure. Not really into science stuffs, but that's what happened to him. He had, or maybe still has cancer and he's crippled. Crippled with the loss of the left eye.

     I wasn't sure why, but I was drawn to him. Something about him, just makes me wonder. I took the first step and said hi. He says hi back. He looked shocked. I asked if I could sit with him through English and he said "Sure, I don't see why not". I smiled to the response and I just assume, that we're friends now. Turned out, I sat next to him at every class, for the whole day, the whole week. I don't want to sit elsewhere. We've become close now, and as someone who I thought should be suffering depression from cancer, he's one funny, cunning and hilarious guy. He's something;

     Three months passed and he called me his best friend. I'm happy to be called as 'that'. I was going on for something more, but that's fine. For now. We played 'truth telling' one time and he just blurred out about his cancer. How it feels at every attack, the pain, how he never feels comfortable with a glass in his eye, and how ridiculous for people to call him strong. He cried at that. When saying strong. He's not. He feels like its a burden, and off limits expectations when someone says that. He hates it.

     I understand. I was wide eyed and taken a back, startled too, but I understand. Poor him. I've never had a confession from someone who suffers cancer before. It was new for me. He also said, I was the first girl, friend he ever had. A 'real one' at least. Others are just bodies helping him get by, and he said I'm not. I'm more; And I was happy for that. We were close. Very. Then one day he had another eye attack. This time, its the right eye. It happened while we were at his house. The attack was so sudden, I panicked. Luckily his mom were home. It was horrifying to witness the attack. After a ton of tears let out from my body, I took an oath to be by his side always. "Never mind as a friend" I said. As long as I'm with him, by his side, its fine. Then he said "Never a friend no more, I want more than that". And so, I became 'that'. More than friends.

     Two months passed and I was with him the whole time. To every appointments, every check-ups, every X-rays meetings, everything. He said he's not strong, but going through all of that and also carried cancer? He is, he was, strong. Then one day, my grandma in Penang fell sick. Really sick. Like it or not, I had to leave him. He said its fine, but I wasn't assure. Before I left he whispered, "But you'll come if I ask for you, right?", I just smiled. "Right" he added, smiling. When I arrived at Penang, my grandma's situation was getting worse. And what's unbearable for me is that, so was his'. After a week in Penang, he kept calling, asking me to come home. Come home to him. Sometimes he sobs and cries hard asking for it. He kept saying "It hurts", and he needs me.

     I can't do that. I can't go to him. I want to, but I couldn't. While everyone thought I was sobbing for grandma, I was actually in pain, for him. There was nothing I could do. After a week, the phone calls stopped. That freaked me out. So I called him many times; Unanswered. Only that night his mum called and gave me the news. He's gone. He; Is gone. His mum said it wasn't my fault, its cancer and it finally took him. Did I believe it? No. Not for a second. I cried hard like never before, and just hid myself from the world. I've lost him, and didn't even said goodbye. I was not by his side. I made an oath and also was the one to break it. I wish he could give me a second chance. Please.

# I got 39/50

# Conclusion: The essay's not good enough. And I need to create, better, more impacted, more related and possibly with moral values stories. Oh well; Hopefully, in the near future.
# Also, this story was inspired by a character from John Green's The Fault In Our Stars. Simon I think? Augustus' friend. So, thank you John Green!