"Ah, cancer," Jake said as nonchalantly as he could. "It was getting pretty bad there for awhile. I think she'd...accepted that she wasn't going to make it right around the time I ended up here."

There were many things he didn't like about not being in Brighton. Not being able to be there for his mum was the biggest one. If his father didn't get his act together, she'd have no one. She'd be alone as she got worse and worse and worse. It was a horrible thought and one that was difficult to swallow down.

He grabbed for his drink and took a few big gulps before sighing. "Sucks."