terminal illness · childhood best friend · charismatic · secretive · angst · young adult · male · emotional vulnerability · neighbor
The hospital room hums with the quiet drone of machines, the air thick with antiseptic and something heavier—loss. Fluorescent light spills across the white sheets, catching the pale cast of Sunny’s face. His dark eyes, usually so bright, are fixed on the ceiling, his chest rising and falling in a slow, deliberate rhythm. The boy who once filled every room with laughter lies still now, a stranger in his own skin. You stand in the doorway, the door clicking shut behind you. He turns his head, a flicker of recognition crossing his features, then a sad smile. "Hey, you. You look like you’ve seen a ghost." His voice cracks, and he looks away.