I'm baaaack! Did you miss me? Cause jeepers, I missed FanFiction!
Zach: Oh yea, I'm sure you did, what with your big fancy college life and all.
Abby: You're just upset because you didn't fit in the car on the way to school at the beginning of the semester so I had to leave you behind under my bed at home.
Zach: Um, yea! It got so cold and so, so lonely.
Abby: Poor thing, lucky for you I'll bring you back with me in January, Massachusetts will do you well, young sir. Regardless, I'm so sorry for my absence, I've been adjusting into my new and exciting college life! I have returned for my break a few hours ago, though, and immediately I hopped on my laptop to start writing. I really hope this is up to par!
Previously on Her Bucket List
By the end of the conversation it had been decided that due to my limited time, Ellen wanted me on the show next Monday, which basically meant that I had just over 96 hours to prepare myself for national television.
If a dream is a wish your heart makes, then the dream that you wish will come true.
If only that was true for curing cancer.
MAX POV
Thanks to my upcoming gig on the Ellen Show, word had quickly spread about my bucket list. I had frequently seen the commercials all over social media and television regarding what had become an epidemic.
It starts off with a black screen and an epic soundtrack like a mix between the Imperial March and the Pirates of the Caribbean theme and then words flashed across in giant white letters. "WHAT WOULD YOU DO…IF YOU ONLY HAD…ONE MONTH TO LIVE?" And then Ellen spunkily twirls around in a chair exclaiming, "Why, go on Ellen, of course!"
It's basically a super awesome commercial. And the fact that it's about me makes it about 10,000 times cooler.
I had been asked to homecoming by many fame-thirsty boys, who wanted to earn my trust and end up on the Ellen Show, supposedly grieving after my death, but I only wanted to go to homecoming with one guy. And thanks to my incredible lack of luck, it seemed that Fang would never ask.
Little imaginary men shot microscopic bullets around the walls of my stomach, as a very contoured, very much real woman plucked at unruly eyebrow hairs and pounced towards my eyes with this odd metal contraption that she claimed would "curl my beautiful eyelashes".
Nerves racked my body as a too-thin woman with bright purple lips shot rapid-fire advice at me, more violently than the imaginary men in my body. Her words swam in my left ear and popped out my right, and the only thing I could really understand were the words, "Ellen" and "just act natural!" I could faintly hear chatter in the background of my loud thoughts, and suddenly I was ushered out of my tall, black folding chair.
"You're on, kid!"
That's when the lights blinded my fragile eyes, and I stumbled my way onto the stage, hardly missing my right foot with my lagging left appendage. The crowd roared in applause and laughter at my blunder and I barely managed to shimmy my way to the chair across from the legend herself: Ellen DeGeneres.
She shook my hand and we both sat down, her glimmering smile even more brilliant in person. She sat there, studying me, until I began to feel so uneasy in front of the crowd that I curled my legs up onto the cushions and buried my head within my hands.
"Aw, she's shy, everybody! Well surely that's not the way to get onto the Ellen Show… I'm sorry; you're going to have to leave, Max."
I looked up at her, fear in my eyes, and frantically shook my head. My throat dry with fear, I mustered up the strength to mutter one single syllable.
"No."
Ellen looked at me, surprised, and looked at the camera. Looked at me. Looked at the camera. Then she brought her gaze back to me.
"You're a sparky one, I can tell. Come on, Maximum; tell me about your cause. Well, me and the entire nation, that is." I cracked a smile at that, and took a deep breath. Where was my usual spunk?
"Well, you see, Ell—can I call you Ell?—I have a few weeks to live."
"Dang, you cut right to the chase, Max. Don't believe in sugar coating much, huh?" I laughed at her, feeling much more at ease with my current situation. I had worked hard to get here.
The rest of the interview went by in a comical sort of haze, and to be honest I can't quite remember most of it. That is, until I received some of the biggest, greatest news of my short life.
"So, Max, there's a reason why I was so eager to have you on the show. I was advised by all those macho head honcho guys that I should send you a letter back with a small check and a ticket to the show, but then I remembered; I'm Ellen De-freaking-Generes, I do what I want! I cancelled a regrettably scheduled interview with Tom Cruise, so I could do what felt right in my heart, and that was obviously to help you with your bucket list."
"Well obviously, Ellen. I'm on the Ellen Show, so you've helped out, and I can't possibly express my gratitude." I watched as Ellen stood up from her maroon chair and walked behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders and leaning down towards my ear.
"Yea, but you see, Max, I want to help you complete your list." My eyes widened, and I heard the audience start clapping again. From my left, appeared two people, one man and one woman.
"Ladies and gentlemen, mixed martial artists Gina Carano and Phil Baroni!"
Before I knew it, I was participating in my first ever kickboxing class. And let me just say, kickboxing kicks butt! (Just be prepared for kickboxing to kick your butt, fair warning).
After a sweaty kickboxing lesson next to Ellen, we shook their hands and we made our ways back to the chairs at center stage.
"Now, Max, I have two more surprises for you, what do you think?"
I wiped sweat from my forehead and smirked.
"Well, Ellen, we don't want to surprise me too much, I might prematurely drop dead!" I saw the TV host frown a bit. "Don't worry, joking about our deaths is sort of how us cancer patients deal with the suck." She nodded.
"Then by all means, joke away dear Maximum Ride. But I think you may enjoy these. You see, I have an opportunity for you to work with David Yates and Chris Columbus, two of the directors of the Harry Potter movies. I know you've always wanted to be in a movie, and let's just say they can arrange something for you."
The crowd went crazy at her announcement and my face ached with happiness. That would mean three more things off my list after this day with Ellen.
"And this is an open option for you… if you can get over this little obstacle we have for you. You know, we just want to make sure that you're in good health!" She winked at me as two men wheeled in a small-scale pyramid.
"If you can climb this pyramid, the directors are all yours. Do you accept the challenge?" I looked around, the pyramid both tall and wide enough to cover the other side of the stage. Fang sat in the front row of the audience, and for the first time that day, I noticed him. He nodded at me, which earned a grin in return.
"Let's do this."
After I struggled for a minute to get up the pyramid, I slid my way over, landing directly on my tailbone. Laughing, I looked up for the first time since my success, and straight into the eyes of Hayley Williams from Paramore and Andy Sixx from Black Veil Brides, and I swear I nearly crapped my pants. Tears welled up in my eyes and Hayley wrapped her arms around my frail body.
The two celebrities from my favorite bands talked with Ellen and me for a bit and they presented me with details for my movie premiere in three days. At the end of the hour, I felt like the luckiest girl alive. So lucky, in the moment, that it didn't even matter that I had a few weeks left to live.
Soooo... what do you think? It was a good way to knock some things off the list, and plus can't you totally see Ellen doing something as spectacular as this? I didn't feel like going into depth with the kickboxing, so I apologize for that, but she's almost done with her list! Now if only a certain boy would ask Max to homecoming...
Zach: Don't act like you don't have control over that, we aren't moving your fingers across the keyboard, that's all you woman!
Abby: Hush now, you know you like the suspense, it kills you inside because it reminds you of your relationship turmoil with Cammie.
Zach: Aw, Cam. You know, I'd gone a while without yearning for her, that's the C word we don't use!
Abby: Really? I thought that word was cu-
Zach: LANGUAGE!
Abby: Oh, uh, right I got a little carried away there... forgot we had an audience. So yea, I'd appreciate criticisms and reviews if you find it in the kindness of your heart!
Love and Claw Machines,
Abby