Free A Saint for Life by Nicole Heck Page B

settle for your choice.”
    “I was thinking Home Alone? It’s one of my favorites,” Christian suggested.
    “That is a great movie,” I agreed while looking over to Gabe to see what he thought.
    “I haven’t ever seen it before!” He picked it up and looked at the case.
    “What! Is your sister depriving you?”
    “Yeah, Zoe, stop depriving me. What does depriving mean?”
    “Okay, you two, I see you have teamed up against me already! What’s up with that?”
    “Nothing.” Gabe laughed and pounded fists with Christian.
    By now I was probably grinning from ear to ear, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted nothing more than for Gabe to be happy. Watching him and Christian interact was truly amazing. He was so good to him. Maybe I was wrong about Christian after all.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    {15}
     
    Christian
     
    “How am I still hungry?” Zoe laughed, and her smile lit up the entire room.
    “I was just thinking the same thing! How about I grab more ice cream? How much do you want?”
    “Bring two spoons and the carton. I promise I’m not a pig!” We both continued to laugh.
    I brought the ice cream back into the room, listening to her suggestion. This enabled me to sit closer to her since we were sharing. The night just continued to get better.
    “I wouldn’t be surprised if we finish this off tonight. Gabe won’t be happy, but this is so good,” Zoe said while taking in another spoonful of ice cream.
    “Gabe seems like a really great kid!” After being around her and Gabe tonight, I really missed all of the good times I had with my brother.
    “He is, especially after everything he has gone through. The kid is so strong.”
    “Can I ask what happened? Why he’s in the wheelchair, I mean? It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.”
    Zoe looked at me, and just seeing the way her emotions changed I could tell things weren’t good. A knot formed in my stomach, and I realized I cared for her already more than I probably should. Gabe mentioned earlier that his father had died and their mom wasn’t around. That sentence ran through my head, and I couldn’t help but admire how strong Zoe appeared to be for everything she has been through. Worried to hear what she was about to say, I shoved another spoonful of ice cream in my mouth.
    “I knew this would be brought up eventually. You see, my family has gone through a lot in the last seven or so years. Gabe is sick. He’s really sick.” She looked down at her feet.
    “What do you mean, sick? Cancer?” I questioned.
    “Yeah. Leukemia.”
    Instinctively I took her hand, which, surprisingly, didn’t catch her off guard.
    “Zoe, I’m so, so sorry.” I felt for her. I knew what it was like to lose a brother, but I can’t even imagine losing my parents too.
    “We found out about three years ago when he was in kindergarten. Things were already a mess, and it just continued to get worse. Right after Gabe was born, my father passed away. My mom didn’t handle it well. She got sick, but in a different kind of way. She had a broken heart, and nothing could cure it. She had become mentally ill. When Gabe was diagnosed and the money situation became more difficult for us, she left. Now it’s even harder, but we get by. Gabe’s attitude is amazing for a kid that has gone through so much. I like to believe that his good spirits are what keep him going. He is still going through treatments, so he’s out of school for now. Dr. Sheehan is hopeful he’ll fight this. The money has been hard for us; hence I am always working. I just want to be able to spend more time with him. I feel so bad.”
    Zoe stopped talking. I was at a loss for words. I flashbacked to how I felt after James died.
    “I’m sorry. I know that was a lot; I didn’t mean to let it all out like that. I just don’t talk about it a lot,” Zoe said, letting her hand go from mine and placing it in her lap.
    I grabbed her hand back quickly, and brought her in closer to me.
    “I