Chapter 14- Live Until You Die

Spencer's P.O.V

As my car races past the exits, "Science vs. Romance" by Rilo Kiley blasting from my speakers, I notice something a little off. Maybe I'm delusional but I think I see someone up ahead. There, standing off from the highway with a broken car beside them is a blond with grayish greenish colored eyes; her thumb sticking up in the air. I know I shouldn't have, but I pulled over my Acura and stopped, maybe 8 feet in front of her. "Get in." I yell out as I open the passenger door for her. She hesitantly walks forward and looks into the car. Not seeing who she expected, she gave a light laugh and threw her camo army styled bag in the back seat. She sits down and buckles up.

"Hi I'm Battle Kane." She says sticking her hand out at me.

"Spencer Carlin." I say shaking her warm hand.

"Where are you headed?" she asks after a while of only the soft voices of one of my favorite bands, Stars.

"Texas." I answer simply.

She nods and says, "Well, my grandma…she lives in Houston, maybe we could…" I stop her from continuing some lame ass homesick story.

"I'm going to Clearwater."

"Oh…okay." She sighs defeated. I sigh also and turn back to look at her quickly, she has something…an air about her which gives off an innocent and naïve vibe. She's tall and well built, with a slight tan and no makeup what so ever on.

"Hey…" I start as I touch her should, she looks over at me cautiously. "Where you from?" I ask.

"Hartford." She answers me after a brief pause. I smirk. "What?" she asks obviously noticing my facial expression.

"Nothing." I say laughing.

"No…what?" she asks now laughing too.

"I don't know." I finish lamely as our laughter quiets. She nods and changes the cd. "What are you doing?" I ask in a shocked state of disbelief.

"I don't want to listen to some trashy techno from the 80's." Battle says teasing me.

"What ever." I say in my fake valley-girl voice.

"Uh huh." Battle continues on my earlier valley-girl voice. We laugh and continue in our conversation. After about three hours later, we are just entering Arizona.

It was around two o'clock pm when we arrived at an okay looking motel. "This…is where we're staying?" Battle asks confused.

"Yep." I answer simply as I exit my car. Battle quickly follows and runs to catch up to me. I open the door for her and she smiles shyly with a nod of acknowledgement. I smile back and pull her towards the check-in desk.

"Carlin." I say slowly so that the guy at the counter can check on his computer. He looks me up and down.

"Spencer?" he asks.

"Yep." I say slightly annoyed.

"No…" He starts to blush profusely. "I'm Nick Torres." I think back to my childhood and recognize the name.

"Yeah…yeah I remember you." I say finally. He smiles and starts to tell me about his parents and his brother Wes. "Key." I mumble hoping to catch his attention.

"Right…key." He says blushing again. He hands me a silver key and points towards the stairs.

"Come on Battle." I say over my shoulder as I walk up the stairs. I hear her clatter up the stairs behind me. I smile and find our home for the night.

7 hours later aka 9 o'clock pm

"That was such a crappy movie." I say as I turn off the vcr.

"It was…okay." Battle says hesitantly. I give her a look. "Okay…your right…it did suck." She states, agreeing with me.

"Yeah…I know." I say smiling a cheekily. She chuckles but then abruptly stands up. She runs to the bathroom, not even closing the door behind her. I follow quickly and rub her back soothingly as she gags into the toilet. After about thirty minutes, Battle had some new clothes on, her teeth were brushed and she was eating her third piece of bacon pizza. "What happened…in the bathroom." I ask as I turn off the tv. She sighs and leans back onto the big, overstuffed bed.

"Only if you answer why your going to Texas first." She compromises. I sigh and lean back also.

"Her name's Ashley Davies." I turn to face her. "She's the only person I want to be with and some dickhead pretty much abducted her." I yell as another wave of guilt and anger smashes into me.

"Okay…okay." She soothes as I lay back into her and start to cry. After a 15 minute block of just feeling sorry for myself, I lean onto my elbow and ask the question that has been plaguing my mind all night.

"What happened in the bathroom?"

She leans up and looks into my eyes. She obviously found something, good or bad. She sighs and says, "It's normal for someone in my condition." She answers it way too vaguely for my liking.

"That's not an answer." I say with an edge in my voice.

"I have Breast Cancer Spencer." She says sadly as I protectively wrap an arm around her slim frame and let tears fall upon her golden hair.

"How do you live so fearlessly?" I ask confused.

She answers quiets, "I won't let fear control the rest of my life. I just plan to really live until I die. No if ands or buts, I plan to experience everything that I'll miss years from now."

A/N- Yeah I know, why have Battle in the story if she's just gonna die? My friends asked me that. I plan on making Battle a HUGE part in my story. BTW, Battle's character is based off of Sara Ryan's "Empress of the World" character, Battle Hall Davies which is why I didn't use her "real" name. Thanks for the reviews again.