"Want to know the worst thing about juicing?" Bryce asked me.

"I'm not sure I do," I said, raising my eyebrows at him.

"You literally have to poop all the time."

I rolled my eyes as I turned on the blender, making an all-organic smoothie.

"You don't have to do this with me," Bryce reminded me.

For at least the sixth time just this morning.

"I'm happy to," I said, as I turned off the blender, checking on my smoothie. "I'll be super healthy."

"And your intestines will be clear."

I shook my head at him, laughing as I turned the blender back on.

Bryce passed me an insulated tumbler once my smoothie was ready, and the two of us left.

I stuffed a straw into my cup and took a sip of my smoothie before pulling out of his driveway.

Bryce pulled down the passenger seat visor, running his fingers through his half-head of hair before he pulled his beanie out of his backpack.

It was a process for him. The beanie had to sit just perfectly.

"Anything I need to know?" Bryce asked me, without looking away from the mirror.

"Mrs. Trumble is pregnant," I informed him.

He looked over at me in surprise.

"It's really not that big of a deal."

"I always thought Trumble was pregnant."

I couldn't help but laugh. "You're awful."

He took a sip of my smoothie, making a face. "Too much kiwi."

"I like kiwi."

"I know. But that doesn't make it any better." He took another sip. "It needs more blueberry."

"It doesn't have any blueberry."

"Well that's what's wrong with it."

I rolled my eyes, swiping my smoothie from him. "Are you going to the baseball game tonight?"

"Probably," he said, leaning back in his seat, still without a beanie. "Is Anderson pitching?"

"Probably," I said, turning on my blinker as I turned into the school. "I don't think they benched him after one bad game."

"He deserved to be."

"The hate game is strong today."

Bryce turned his head in the mirror, examining his scar.

And that's when I saw the baby hair that was starting to grow.

But before I could examine it further, due to the fact that I was driving, Bryce pulled on his beanie.

"You have little baby hairs!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, well hair does eventually grow back," he commented, fixing the front of his beanie.

"It's like little stubbles."

"I think that maybe I'm going to just get rid of all my hair and begin new."

I stared at him in shock. "Absolutely not."

"Well the hair growth it uneven," he pointed out, as I swung into my usual parking spot.

"It's all going to grow out eventually," I said, grabbing my backpack from the backseat.

"I guess."

We stepped out of my car, and already Bryce had eyes on him.

And we were just in the parking lot.

I grabbed my smoothie, taking it with me as we headed towards campus.

Bryce wrapped his hand around mine, and I couldn't help but smile.

He laughed at me.

"What?"

"I'm just holding your hand," he pointed out. "Why does that make you that happy?"

"Because it's the little things Bryce Harrison," I said, using the line he'd said to me the night before his surgery.

"Ooh, good one."

We approached my table first, and Kylie smiled at him.

"So do I get to see your rad scar?" Kylie asked Bryce.

"Nope."

"It took him the entire drive here to get that beanie perfect," I informed her, taking my seat.

Bryce sat down next to me, looking across the pavilion at his friends.

Steven was over there, telling a story to the guys while they laughed.

I took a sip of my smoothie, half-listening to Caroline's recount of her first volunteer experience at the hospital yesterday.

She didn't sound too thrilled.

I nudged Bryce, who was completely zoned out.

He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Aren't you going to go over there?" I asked him, nodding towards the baseball players.

And then Clayton happened to look over at our table, and his eyes lit up when he saw Bryce.

"Well I'm not going to guess that I have much of a choice now," Bryce muttered.

Clayton came jogging over, practically dragging Bryce back over to his circle of jocks.

"That's the first time I've ever seen you encourage him to hang out with those blockheads," Caroline commented.

"I'd rather see him be a blockhead than sit here all depressed and withdrawn," I said, still watching as Bryce began to joke around with his teammates, a smile making its way across his face.

"How's he doing?" Caroline asked me. "Because Lord Baby Jesus have I heard some rumors this week."

I'd heard them too. Somehow it'd slipped that Bryce had cancer, and it was spreading like wildfire across campus.

I'd warned Bryce about it last night, and he said that he was ready to face it. But I could see that he was nervous.

"Just taking it day-by-day," I said, checking my phone.

I had a text from my mom, checking to make sure I'd made it to school okay.

"That's all you can do," Caroline said.

~*~

"What's this?" I asked Kylie, as I placed my stuff down in Art.

Clayton and Kylie were in their usual seats, but instead of two seats between them, one for me and one for Bryce, there were three.

"Mrs. Jacobs added a seat," Kylie said, grimacing at me.

I looked over at Clayton, the pieces clicking.

She expected Steven and Bryce to sit next to each other for the remainder of the year. And not kill each other.

Neither one of them were here yet. Bryce usually walked me to class, but he's been held back after practically every class by each teacher.

They've wanted to check with him on his makeup work, see how he's doing overall. They mean well, but it's stressing Bryce out a bit.

"They're going to kill each other," Clayton commented, without looking up from his art piece.

"I think it'll be funny," Kylie said, smiling at me.

So I took the middle seat, sitting between Steven and Bryce's chairs.

"Or you could do that," Kylie said, shaking her head at me. "You always have to play peacemaker, don't you?"

"I'd rather not see my boyfriend get into a fight on his first day back," I said, looping my backpack across the back of the seat.

Steven came in, stopping as he reached our row. "What's this?"

"Your seat's there," Clayton said, pointing to the seat next to Kylie.

"What? No," Kylie protested. "Next to him!"

Steven took the seat next to Kylie.

"Dammit," Kylie muttered.

"It's okay princess," Steven said, looping his backpack across the back of his chair. "I'm not too thrilled about it either."

And then Bryce walked in.

"Oh," Steven said.

Bryce stopped at our row, his eyes flickering between Steven and me.

"Your seat is here," Clayton informed Bryce.

"Wait, so you didn't want to sit next to me?" Steven asked Clayton, feigning hurt.

"Why is he here?" Bryce asked me, taking the seat between Clayton and me.

"Who me?" Steven asked Bryce.

"You'd be the one."

"Probably for the same reason you are, for my Art credit. Oh, and for the company of Sophie here."

"So we started a new piece," I informed Bryce, turning my back on Steven. "It's on Childhood Dreams."

"Okay," Bryce agreed, heading to the supply closet to find himself a canvas.

I grabbed the pink, starting in on my piece, which was almost finished.

"Why don't you just tell him?" Steven encouraged.

"Tell him what?" I asked.

"That you're clearly into me."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "I'll be sure to let him know that you're clearly delusional."

"You don't have to push what we have to the side for him," Steven encouraged, a smirk spreading across his face.

I shook my head. He was not worth my time.

"What are you painting?" Bryce asked Clayton, as he returned to his seat.

Clayton showed Bryce his painting.

It was a baseball glove, a baseball flying towards it.

"That's really good," I commented.

"Well I can't suck at everything," Clayton commented, before returning to his painting.

"What happened to the last piece?" Bryce asked me.

"What do you mean?"

"What did you do with it?"

Oh yeah. My Love and Peace artwork that I tore up in front of the entire class out of anger and frustration.

I usually give my finished artwork to Bryce.

Steven was laughing next to me.

"I destroyed it."

"Destroyed it?"

"I was angry."

"I would've paid money to watch that."

"Some of us got the show for free," Steven informed him with a smirk, clearly implying something different.

Bryce's jaw tightened.

"Thank you," I said to Steven.

I reached over and grabbed a cotton ball to dab my painting.

Steven opened his mouth to say something else, so I shoved the cotton ball into his mouth instead.

Kylie snort-laughed, covering his mouth as people turned to look at her.

"Gross," Steven commented, once he successfully pulled the cotton ball out of his mouth.

"Can we transfer to a different class?" Bryce asked me.

"I think it's a little late in the year for that," I informed him. "What are you painting?"

"The, uh..." he trailed off, thinking for a few moments.

Bryce was usually good at coming up with synonyms for words that started with the letter S, but clearly he was drawing blank.

"Sounds like a great one," Steven commented. "A-worthy even."

Bryce just shrugged, clearly a bit frustrated.

"Yours looks like the abominable snowman," Kylie informed Steven.

"It's an astronaut," Steven defended.

"Looks great," Bryce informed him, sarcastically. "A-worthy even."

Steven just smirked at him, and Bryce smiled.

"It's the sky," Clayton said to Bryce, after Bryce continued to paint for a few minutes.

"Yeah," Bryce said, with a nod.

"You wanted to be a sky?" I teased.

"It's my lifelong dream," he teased in return.

"Astronaut is already taken," Steven informed him.

"I don't want to be Bigfoot," Bryce informed him, laughing at his painting. "So we're good there."

I finished my painting, leaning back in my seat.

"Ballet shoes," Kylie commented. "That's cute."

"Thanks," I said, taking it back to the back table so it could dry before being graded.

I placed my chin on Bryce's shoulder, watching him paint for a few moments.

"May I help you?" he asked, without looking away from his painting.

"I'm curious."

"Well it's not going to be as good as Clayton's over here," Bryce huffed. "But you'll see."

"That's code for I have no idea what the hell I'm doing," Steven informed me, as I retook my seat.

"Says the guy who painted Olaf instead of an astronaut."

Steven just rolled his eyes, and I took to watching Bryce work on his painting.

As his girlfriend of practically three years, I should know what his Childhood Dream was. But I'm sad to say that I have absolutely no idea.

~*~

"We should go out," Bryce said to me.

"Go out?" I asked him. "I thought that's what we were doing."

He laughed, shaking his head at me.

"Where do you want to go?" I asked, before pushing away from my desk in my rolling chair, rolling across the room.

"We should do our usual Friday night."

"You mean the diner and bowling?"

He nodded. "It's my last free Friday before chemo."

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it?"

"I feel fine."

"You don't have to short answer me, it's just a question."

He let out a groan, shooting me a look. "Let's go!"

"Well I'd have to go get dressed," I complained, gesturing towards my t-shirt and sweats. "I'm already in my comfy clothes."

"I'll wait."

I let out a sigh, trudging over to my closet as I continuously shot him looks over my shoulder.

He just smiled at me.

I simply went with a pair of jeans and a white shirt with a light pink pullover sweater. I paired it with gold flats and pulled my hair back into a high ponytail.

"You look pretty," Bryce commented, as I came back into my bedroom.

I leaned over and pecked him on the lips.

He hopped up off my bed, following me downstairs.

"We're going out," I informed my mom.

"Diner and bowling?" she asked me, without looking up from her book.

"You know us so well."

"Be careful."

I kissed her cheek. "Tell daddy I said good night."

"Of course dear."

We left, Bryce sliding into my passenger seat.

"Your parents are chill," he commented.

"They trust me," I said, with a shrug. "And you."

"They shouldn't."

I rolled my eyes, pulling out my driveway. "Oh yeah, we're the hardcore partiers."

He chuckled. "We could be for all they know."

The diner was already in full swing by the time we got there, and we were welcomed by Eddy as we walked in.

"The usual?" he asked us.

"Aw man," Bryce complained. "Your burgers don't happen to be organic, do they?"

Eddy just laughed.

"Just give me a chocolate milkshake," Bryce said.

"That's not organic either," I chastised.

Bryce just stuck his tongue out at me.

I ordered a vanilla milkshake and Bryce paid before we made our way out back.

"Come on," Bryce said, tugging me towards the center of the party.

"Shouldn't we wait on our milkshakes?"

"They'll still be there later."

I let him pull me out to the makeshift dance floor, and I greeted a few friends as Bryce pulled me into his arms.

"I missed this," I said, as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"This feels right."

I rose up on my tip-toes, kissing him. "Any time I'm with you it feels right."

He just smiled at me, before lifting me up and setting me down on the bed of a truck. He hopped up next to me.

We watched some of the break dancing for a few minutes, his arm wrapped tightly around me.

"You should get out there and break it down," I teased.

"Oh yeah, I was born to do that," he teased, nodding towards one of the girls that were really breaking it down.

We both clapped for her, Bryce hollering.

And then one of the girls grabbed Bryce's arm, pulling him out to the dance floor.

I cheered for him, laughing as he made a fool of himself.

But Bryce didn't mind, smiling over at me.

One of the girls tried to show him how to do one of her break dances, and he just shook his head at her, laughing.

"Your guy doesn't have the moves," she informed me, making her way back over to me.

"I know," I said, smiling at him. "But I love him anyways."

So what did you guys think about Bryce returning to school? What about Steven? Did you expect more from Steven & Bryce, or is that how you imagined it? What do you think Bryce's chilhood dream is? And then the ending, with Sophie & Bryce's date to the diner?

So I imagined Steven's painting of an astronaut looking like Baymax (from Disney's movie Big Hero 6). What about you guys?

Teaser: Bryce really does start chemo this time. And things doesn't go as smoothly as hoped.