KILL THE RICH

All I could think of was why? My best friend Michael was just lying there in his helpless body. His dark brown eyes were now closed forever. His once tan skin was now white like freshly fallen snow. He was lying there in the cherry casket in his suit that he took me to homecoming in. I couldn't believe what I saw. My best friend since we were babies was gone. A warm, salty tear rolled down my cheek. I looked at him not breathing, not being able to take another breath of the cool October air. I thought of all the fun times we had and all the late night talks we had on the phone or on my front porch. Then I looked at all the fights we had and the times we were angry at each other. I started wishing none of the arguments had happed and I could take back every single day we had fought. Then I remember the day I found out he had it. The it I am talking about is cancer. The memory stood in my mind like a stick in the mud. It seemed like I had just fond out yesterday, but it was really a year ago when I found out. Michael hadn't been in school for almost a week. I called him from school the first day he was sick. He said he didn't feel well. He didn't tell me that he was going to the hospital to have tests done. It wasn't going to be until the following Monday when he would find out the results of his entire test.
That Monday I had come home from school. I walked in the kitchen door to find my mom sitting at out little brown table with her head between her arms with her beautiful brown hair hanging down around her face and arms.
"What's wrong?" I asked gently scared of what she would say. Her face looked as red as a cherry from crying and her cheeks were stained with tears and still moist. I was in shock because the only other time I had seen her cry was when my dad walked out on us a few years ago. My mom was a strong, intelligent woman. She always looked on the bright side of things. No matter what went wrong she had a bright perspective on things.
"Mrs. Ackley called and said Michael's tests were back. The doctors say he has liver cancer." Mom quietly whispered. Tears started to roll down her cheeks again. I couldn't believe it. This wasn't the same Michael that had gone to the mall last week and shared a pizza with me. It couldn't be. It wasn't possible. I felt tears roll down my cheeks, as I grew angry at this atrocious joke they were playing on me. I wasn't going to fall for the unkind joke. I knew my face was red because it began to feel hot like I had just stopped running. I ran up the stairs to my room to call Michael. I wasn't going to believe this lie until I heard it from Michael or his parents. As I slowly dialed his number making sure I hit the right buttons my hands started to shake and my palms became sweaty. The phone then started to ring on the other side.
"Hello?" a small voice answered. Right then I knew it was Doreen his older sister. It sounded like she had been crying but I didn't question it for one moment.
"Hi Doreen is Michael there?" I asked like nothing was wrong. I had convinced myself that this was all an appalling joke and there was nothing wrong with Michael.
"He is still in the hospital. He got his test results back and they said he had cancer and only had 6 months to live." Doreen started to cry again. I then realized this wasn't a joke this was a reality. I didn't want to believe it, but I had to. I started crying again this time harder then before.
"Are you ok?" I asked when I had finally settled down enough to say something. Even with the three words I had just said I started to weep again. Doreen was my best girl friend and I just couldn't stand to hear her cry.
"No." was the only word she had whispered. I knew she needed someone so I told her I would be there in a few minutes and hung up the phone. The Ackley's only lived a few blocks away and I could easily walk there in five minutes or less.  I ran downstairs, grabbed my light jacket, and ran towards the Ackley's house.
At about five minutes later I had arrived. I rang the doorbell and Doreen answered it. I looked at her tear stained face and her messed up blonde hair and started to cry. We held each other and wept for at least a half hour.
When we had finally calmed down she asked, " It's to believe isn't it?" her voice was trembling from all the crying.
"It is hard. He is strong and he'll make it through this. I do have one question though that nobody can answer, Why him? What did he do?" I said trying to find the answer to the ridiculous question myself.
I could only stay for an hour because I had homework. When I went upstairs to my peaceful room I couldn't do the homework. All I could think of was how Michael didn't deserve this. Nothing else. I finally realized that he was not going to get well again just sicker. Her body was going to be distorted into this person I didn't know. I will know the name but not the person who occupies the body.
That is exactly what happened over the next year. Everyday I went to his house and stayed with him until my mother called for me to come home. I watched his one hundred thirty-five pound body change into this ninety-five pound body as the time passed. He seemed like the same guy I knew just more drained and weaker. Everyday he was weaker then the day before. His beautifully tanned skin was now turning a pale white and starting to sag off of his face from the lack of food. His appetite grew smaller each day. I could see the terror in his dark brown eyes everyday. I didn't want to lose him, but I knew I would someday. Now as he did everyday when I was at his house, it was now my turn to say goodbye forever. I never wanted to say goodbye but I had to. I will never forget the fun times we had. For that matter I will never forget him. I know wherever he is he will never forget me.