After making friends with Alexis in Season 3, Ander (and Omar initially) decides to spend his summer break being there for him while he undergoes chemotherapy.
Alexis behavior mirrors a lot of what we saw from Ander in S3, volatile: happiness, sadness, and anger, an attempt to push away those who care in order to not cause them pain. In the first part we see Alexis bring up the lie Ander created to push away Omar; the goal being to cause them to fight and leave the hospital. Following a discussion outside Omar goes home, and Ander returns to the chemo room to be with Alexis who asks him to get him out of the hospital for a day to go for a swim. Ander invites him to Rebeka's house who is unsure how to approach a terminally ill guy, and debates if she should sleep with him, kiss him, or avoid him completely.
At the pool party a depressed and introverted Alexis tells Rebeka that his doctor told him he will die within 2 months, and that he just wants to die without causing anyone to feel unnecessary pain. After an incident in the pool, Alexis tells Ander he is stopping his treatment and has accepted his fate. The following day Ander shows up at the hospital and waits for Alexis, who has come to end his treatment. He tells Ander not to try and persuade him, and Ander admits even though his mother called him and asked him to try he wasn't there to change his mind, just to keep him company.
The final moments between Alexis and Ander were some of the most heartbreaking throughout the entire show. No, he does not change his mind. And no, there is not a warm sendoff between the two. Standing in the waiting room Alexis tells Ander to remember how he looks at that very moment and then to close his eyes and not come looking for him. Obliging, Ander closes his eyes and jokes he will be mad if Alexis actually left and upon opening them is alone in the waiting room with Alexis's great-grandfather's ring left on a bench behind him. A keepsake for Ander for being there for him, and Alexis way of upholding the tradition of passing the ring on.
This short story brought tears to my eyes, especially the final moments between the two. It was a reminder that sometimes things don't get better, and not every story has a happy ending. This is one of elite's finest story arcs, and the condensed 3 part nature fit it very well. Out of all the short stories, this one easily takes the top spot. If you are looking for character development between Omar and Ander this will not satisfy you, in fact the story itself will probably leave you feeling very sad. This short is a necessary watch to understand one specific scene that appears late in season 4.
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