way for the umpteenth time as they neared home. she was wrapped up like a burrito in the passenger's seat, sniffling and sneezing. her nose was red, eyes droopy. she looked so small and cute.

"sum?" he called softly, taking the turn that would lead to summer's home. "hm?" she turned to him, sniffing. "you're warm, right?" he reached for her hand. she let him take it with a smile. he pulled the car to a stop in front of the house.

"ye-" her answer was cut off by a fit of coughs. unbuckling his seatbelt, he reached for her, concern written all over his face. the loud coughs racked her body almost viciously. "summer!" his moved ran over her body as he moved closer.

she finally stopped, moving the handkerchief away from her face slowly. gasps left both their lips at the sight of what had stained the square piece of pale yellow cloth.

blood.

"guys, get the fuck out of the car already! i know when you got h-" raheem's loud shout cut off when he stopped at her window. his gaze shifted to the handkerchief, eyes widening.

"what the hell happened?!" he focused his gaze on jeongguk. "i don't know! she just started coughing and-" jeongguk was cut short by another fit of coughs from summer.

raheem yanked the back door open and jumped in. "hospital now!" he yelled to jeongguk who was already strapping on his seatbelt with shaky hands. he felt like the air had been knocked out of his lungs, fear taking over his entire body.

tears pricked the back of his eyes but he focused on driving them to the nearest hospital. his heart broke over and over again with every painful cough that left a weak summer's body. his eyes kept glancing her way

"just hold on summer." raheem patted her arm gently. jeongguk could hear the pain in his voice. he felt the same. every chesty sound that left summer was like a stab to his chest, causing ripples of pain to flood through him.

he hit the brakes the moment they were in front of the hospital. releasing the buckle on his seatbelt, jeongguk jumped out of the car. nurses rushed to the scene, helping him and raheem with summer, getting her on a gurney. the two boys ran after it until they were stopped by the nurses who rushed summer into the emergency room.

jeongguk turned to the older boy grabbing him with shaky hands, tears running down his face. just like the cascades they had been under just yesterday. they burnt a path of pain down his cheeks, a steadily streaming river of clinging hope and biting fear.

"it's the copd, isn't it? that's why she has asthma. it's why her fingers and lips turn blue. it's the reason for the cough, right?" wild eyes searched raheem's face, watching the expressions that passed over it. "she told you?" surprise.

"no, i... i figured it out on my own. she didn't want to tell me. what i don't understand is why." jeongguk shook his head, sending teardrops flying all over the place. raheem pressed his lips together, breathing deeply as though it hurt him. "it's treatable, right?"

the hope that seeped into that question seemed to lance through the older boy. "it is, but it's harder when it develops into lung cancer." raheem's voice broke and his own tears ran down his face.

jeongguk's hands fell away from raheem's arms. his body was shaking violently, breaths coming out choppy and loud. chest heaving, head shaking, tears flying, stumbling back, he felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"n-no!" he cried out, nearly falling back, only being held up by raheem's strong arms. the older boy led him to the chairs, sitting him down. "i need to call summer's parents. please, just stay here. i'll be back." he fixed his worried gaze on jeongguk.

the younger boy had barely heard his words, mind too far away to register anything else. he wheezed, the very air he breathed had been knocked out of his lungs by raheem's revelation.

jeongguk couldn't see anything in front of him. instead he saw summer. her brown eyes with precious gold buried beneath them. warm smile that lit up her face. her buttery hair. he heard her wistful words spoken with the voice of an ethereal being and unique laughter. he felt her warmth and the wonderful touch of her beautiful soul.

trying to imagine her gone, his life without her, he was suddenly wrapped by a chill from within, as though death itself had pulled him into its cold embrace. shivers ran up and down his spine, his heart filling with an incomprehensible fear.

summer had suddenly become smoke. she filled his lungs, wisps of her essence curled around his entire being, taking over his senses, his soul. and now, he could see her slowly slipping through his grasp. jeongguk was hit with the painful realisation that he could not hold on to smoke.