Wish Upon a Star by Jim Cangany Read Free Book Online Page B

settling
into the seat next to her. "Nice hat, girl. What's NC?"
    "North Central High School. I'm a freshman there." She
removed the hat to reveal a completely bald head. "Like my new
'do?"
    "I think I'm going to be matching you soon." Annie pulled on
her hair and dangled a few strands in front of her.
    "Ooh, I could sell those on EBay." Staci made a grab for them,
but Annie flicked them at me before Staci could get her hands on
them.
    "You don't want them now that they're contaminated with
E.J. cooties." They both giggled while I brushed the hairs to the floor
with as much dignity as I could muster.
    Nurse Therese arrived with Annie's chemo bag and got her
treatment going while the girls got caught up. Most of the kids at
Staci's school were supportive, but a few had taunted her with
names like Cue Ball and Benson, a round-headed character from the
Cartoon Network's animated series The Regular Show .
    "I think you look beautiful," Annie said. She turned to me.
"You don't have to stick around. I'll text you when I'm finished and
you can pick me up then, yes?"
    With Annie settled in, I exchanged high fives with both of
the ladies and headed out to run a few errands. I'd knocked a few
things off my to-do list when my phone buzzed. By the time I
returned, Annie was in the reception area studying a brochure of
some sort.
    "Interesting reading?"
    "Hardly." She sighed and stood. "Wigs. Shall we?"
    We were almost home when Annie turned the radio off. "I'm
going to see if Randi's available this weekend to come over."
    "Sure, we could order a couple of pizzas and hang out. I'm
sure—"
    "I'm going to ask her to help me cut my hair off." She
reached up and pulled a few more strands out. "I can't stand the
thought of shedding like a dog."
    I didn't know how to respond, so I kept my hands on the
wheel and my eyes on the road.
    "I don't want a wig, though. And it's not like I need to
maintain an appearance at the office." She let out an uneven
laugh.
    We pulled into the garage, the engine sputtering before
growing silent. I put my hand on Annie's arm. "If you want, I could,
you know..." I ran my hand through my hair and made a buzzing
sound. "As a support kind of thing."
    Annie stared at me, a half smile on her lips. She caressed my
cheek. "You'd do that for me?"
    I shrugged. "Yeah."
    "Of course you would. But it's not necessary."
    "You sure? I don't mind."
    "I'm sure. One baldy in the house will be enough. Besides,
even bald, I'm sure I'll look gorgeous. You, on the other hand..." She
closed her eyes and shuddered. "The thought of you bald makes me
more nauseous than the chemo."
    With a peck on the cheek, she was out of the car and in the
condo before I could fire off something in my defense.
    The following afternoon, a smiling Miranda and a fidgety
Ryan were at the door when I answered the bell. Annie was just
waking from a nap on the couch. Miranda made a bee line for her,
pausing only to give me a quick hug. Ryan stepped inside just enough
to close the door behind him.
    "So, um, Miranda thought you and me could go get a beer or
something while they hang out."
    I glanced at my fiancé and her best friend. Annie waved us
away with a flick of her wrist.
    "Go. You deserve to get away for a while. But we want you
back by seven with a couple of pies from Bazbeaux."
    I turned to Ryan. He was busy inspecting his fingernails. At
that moment, it hit me just how little we knew each other. While
Annie and Miranda had become as close as a couple on a tandem
bike, Ryan and I got along well, but were hardly buddies. I got my
coat and followed Ryan to his Honda Insight.
    It wasn't until we got in the car and the engine was running
that Ryan spoke again.
    "So, uh, what sounds good?"
    If I'd been on my own, I would've headed for Cycles Forever,
and hung out at the bike shop with Paul and Dave. Ryan wasn't into
cycling, so that was out. We couldn't very well go to the Bike Co-op
either. Gloria had given me a key after she heard the news and told
me to