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Eddie Never Returned to the 10th Grade
But I wish he did
Eddie was different.
He wasn’t different because he looked paler than everybody else in the 9th grade.
He was different because of his dry, dark humor.
I met him in Health class. We would learn about sex, and he would roll through jokes.
Swirl his eyebrows around like worms. Stick his tongue against the wall inside his mouth. He made everyone around him crack up. He was the kindest person I met in high school.
He was the first person I candidly met in high school.
Nothing at first glance made you think that he was going through hell. Other than looking pale, he had every stride of a healthy person.
Leukemia.
I guess everyone has a first.
It’s weird to learn about that in the 9th grade because I had no idea what cancer was. I didn’t know what it meant for somebody to have an issue with their blood. When you are 14 everything is pretty oblivious.
Reality hasn’t really set in yet. It’s beginning to set in, but you’re definitely still left in the illusion.
I’m not sure if Eddie knew what was going to happen.
