Well, Here It Is...Part 6. Don't Worry, It's Not Going To End Here, Not Yet Anyways. And I Am SO SORRY About Some Of The Mistakes Throughout. I Am Doing This All On Wordpad Because My Microsoft Ran Out :/ So, Yeah...Anyways, So This Is Probably One of The Hardest Fics I have ever Written, Simply Because The Movie Is Absolute Perfection (even if i think that he shouldn't have died, or at the very least they showed him in the hospital).
Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Except This Idea
A Concrete Goal
Part 6
Month 5
Two weeks. It'd been two fucking weeks since he'd hung out with her or talked to her. He had watched her, of course, to make sure she was alright. He hated seeing how upset she was.
He looks over at his calendar. May 1. It was a Thursday, ironic enough. He wanted to do something for her, but he didn't know how. Next week, he tells himself. Yeah, that'd work.
ooo
The week of May 5th was probably one of the worst weeks of her life. And it was only made worse that Friday.
Chemistry had technically ended and so they would be doing no more experiments or work. They would be reviewing for the APs. The thought made her miserable. So, on the 9th, when she walked into Chemistry, she was almost glad that she was there before Keith.
She sat there in her own thoughts, staring into space when she heard his voice.
"Keys?" Miles asks. Keith hands him his. "Natalie, key?" She grabs it and hands it to him
"Ah, the end of chemistry as we know it," he says, sounding chipper. His tone makes her mood worse. She snaps.
"You're such a goddamned glib little actor. As far as I'm concerned, this is a real chickenshit goodbye." She grabs her book bag and walks out of the class, fighting tears.
How could he just sit there and break her heart? But, of course, now she knew the truth. She just wish it didn't have to hurt so much.
ooo
The tears in her eyes had hurt him. He hated knowing she was hurting, but he couldn't do anything about it. Even if he did apologize, he wouldn't be here soon.
Ever since he started getting to know her, the idea of him not being alive became a suddenly new thing. He'd accepted his inevitable demise, welcomed it...But now? It terrified him. He didn't want to die. No one this young should have to die. He wouldn't even make it to July at the rate he was deteriorating.
Another week rolled by. He still hadn't tried to talk to her. But, a week later, after another round of chemo, he wanted to try.
So, on the 16th, he gathered his courage and drove over to her house.
He knocked on her house and a guy answered.
"Yea?" He asks.
"Is Natalie here?" He asks back.
"Uh, yeah."
"Tell her it's time we went bowling." The guy smiles and nods.
As soon as the door is closed, he walks back to his truck and leans against the door frame, waiting.
ooo
"Uh, that truck guy is here. Said something about it being time to go bowling?"
Her heart beats wildly in her chest. She looks at her brother and nods.
"Okay." He smiles at her and walks away. It takes her a full two minutes before she can walk outside.
When she does, she sees him leaning against his truck. Her heart breaks further, but she says nothing as she walks around and gets inside.
Once they are driving, she waits for a few minutes before speaking.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She can't keep the hurt out of her voice.
"Come on, partner. Everyone bites it sooner or later. I'm just in the AP class."
"Always the joke."
"Al says it's a phase. It'll pass soon. But, hey, at least it wasn't about sympathy for the sick kid." His accusations hurt.
"That's not fair." He hits the breaks and turns to look at her.
"Is Duke fair? Is Europefair? At this rate, I won't even make it to London, Ontario. Is that fair?" She can't speak. "Bowling. That's what I get. Bowling." He starts to drive again and she waits another moment before finding her voice.
"We're not going bowling," she says.
"Why?" He asks.
"Because, we're saving that. Turn here." He glances over at her, but obliges.
They end up at the Salvation Army.
"Wait here," she says and he nods.
She makes her way inside and finds an old green suitcase. When she gets to the register, she asks for a piece of paper and scissors. The cashier obliges and she cuts out a slip of paper. Finding a few colored crayons in a bucket, she uses them.
When she is finished, she pays for the suitcase, placing the paper inside. She smiles at the woman and exits. She sees him sitting there and he raises an eyebrow at the suitcase. She says nothing.
"Now where?" He asks her.
"The airport."
ooo
When they get to the airport, he doesn't know what to expect. They exit the truck and his heart races slightly in his chest.
They reach the concourse and she tells him to wait.
When she comes back, she holds out the suitcase and he takes it from her.
"So, where we going?"
"The sky's the limit," she tells him, holding out a piece of paper. "Haven't lied to you this far, I'm not gonna start now."
Yellow Truck Airlines
Passenger: Keith
From: Here
Destination: Anywhere
He looks back up at her. "What are we doing, really?" A cold feeling settles inside his chest.
"This is the goodbye scene," she tells him. No, he whispers inside his head.
"Let's not, okay?" He begs, his voice cracking slightly.
"Come on, Zetterstrom. You can do it." He sighs and straightens.
"Okay. Wake up, Natalie. Don't you see what happened here?" She shakes her head and he continues. "You had a beautiful life, and I had shit. I wanted to take you down, I wanted to make you as miserable as I am, and that is exactly what I did. Now," he says, watching her face, "how's that for a goodbye?" She purses her lips and looks away.
"Pretty lame."
"Face it, Anderson," he says, making her look at him. "I screwed you. I screwed you big time." He knew the words hurt, but she was killing him.
"So you screwed me, so what? Me?" She asks, coming up to him and grabbing him to talk into his ear. "I made love to you." What did she just say? His heart stops as her words sink in. He looks around, scared to move. "Try again." She says. "Try again." He turns and walks away a few steps. He turns and walks back to her.
"I had it all figured out so I would cut out early. Seemed like a good idea, life sucks anyways. Then I met you, and it got weird. And you were so...amazing. And I..." He stops to catch his breath and to hold back tears.
"What?" She asks. He can't look at her. "What?" he meets her eyes and sees the unshed tears in them.
"I just wanted a little more time." A tear falls from her eye and he gives a small smile. "Goodbye, partner." And with that, he walks away. Each step away from her kills him more than the last. When he is standing at the line, he closes his eyes and lets a single tear fall.
Hating his weakness, he wipes it away. Then, something amazing happens. He feels her grab him and turn him around.
"I am staying with you until you leave. I don't care how much time we have. You get that, you stupid jerk?" She tells him. His shock and amazement soon turn to lust as she kisses him. He is afraid to move for fear she'll back away. When she doesn't, he drops the suitcase and wraps his arms around her, kissing her back.
He will never know anything more amazing than the feeling of her lips against his. She tastes like the sweetest sugar and she fits perfectly against him.
When they pull apart, he swallows roughly. Her eyes are bright and she strokes his face. His eyes close of their own accord and he breathes in her sweet scent.
"Are you sure?" He asks her. She nods.
"I've never been more sure of anything." He smiles and kisses her again.
ooo
When they eventually get in the truck, he can't believe what happened. He didn't want to put her through what would come, but he didn't want to go another day without her. He was a selfish bastard.
"Keith," she says hesitantly. He looks over at her and feels scared. Please don't change your mind, he whispers selfishly.
"Yes?" He responds, gripping the steering wheel.
"Can I hold your hand?" His relief is so poignant that he feels moisture in his eyes.
"Of course you can, pumpkin love," he responds and she laughs. He feels her entwine their fingers together and tightens his hold.
They drive away from the airport and head back home. He takes her up to the cliffs and stops the truck when he gets there, putting it in park. He turns to her and she raises her eyes to his.
Electricity crackles between them. He releases his hand to stroke her face. He gives her a small smile before leaning in closer to her. She leans in and he takes her face in his hands, kissing her softly. She smiles against his lips and he pulls back.
"Come on, partner," he says. "Let's stargaze." She laughs and they exit the truck and get into the flatbed, laying down on the blanket. This time, instead of laying on opposite ends with their legs hanging off the sides, they lay next to each other, her head cradled on his shoulder.
They lay like that for some time before she speaks.
"Keith," she begins. He looks down at her. "How...How much..." He presses a finger to her lips and smiles down at her.
"Don't think about the future. There's only this," he whispers, leaning down to kiss her again.
Kissing her was dangerous. Before long, they were in a sweaty pile of arms and legs, and both of them were satisfied.
"How long have we been here?" She asks. He shrugs. She looks down at her watch and gasps. "Holy Hell! We've been here for nearly three hours!" She blushes scarlet when she meets his gaze and he smiles. "We should probably go," she says and he nods.
"You could..." His voice trails off and he shakes his head.
"What?" She asks.
"Nothing," he responds.
"Come on, partner. You can't hold stuff out on me this late in the game." Her smile is breathtaking.
"I was going to say if you liked, you could stay...With me."
ooo
Her heart races madly at his idea and she bites her lip.
"What would your dad say?" She asks and he shakes his head.
"He thinks you're an angel. He feels bad about what happened the last time you were there. I am sorry about that, partner," he says and he looks it.
"Does he? And what does his son think, hmm?" She smiles.
"He thinks that it's cold and that we should probably get going," he replies and she laughs, shaking her head.
"Alright," she says when they're back in the truck with the heart going.
"Alright, what?" He responds.
"I'll stay with you."
"Cool."
ooo
Needless to say, the following morning, his father was shocked and elated to see her, although he was a bit upset that they hadn't asked him first.
She liked him instantly.
"We were never properly introduced," he says to her.
"Natalie," she tells him.
"Henry," he answers. She goes to shake his hand but he hugs her instead. Her heart warms and she wonders why she didn't make her choice sooner.
Later, when she finally goes home, she looks so happy that her parents don't even bother yelling at her, just asking who made her so happy.
She motions for him to come inside and he does, shyly.
"This is Keith," she tells them. He smiles at them.
"Don't worry, she's not pregnant," he says and she blushes. Her dad bursts out laughing and her mom shakes her head.
"Well, if you got her smiling, then you must be doing something right," her dad says. "Haven't seen her smile in weeks."
"Don't worry, I plan on keeping her that way, for as long as I can." She looks over at him and he forces a smile.
"Well, come, have a seat," her mom says, motioning towards the loveseat. They sit down and she goes and gets refreshments.
They talk for a little while before he clears his throat.
"There's something you should know," he says and she looks at him.
"You don't have to talk about it, partner," she tells him quietly. He smiles at her and grabs her hand.
"I have cancer," he tells them. Her mother gasps and her father's face softens.
"Oh, my...You poor, sweet thing," her mother croons, standing up to come over and hug him to her. When she pulls away, she holds up a hand. "You don't need to say anymore. Whatever needs to be done, or when you need Natalie, all you need do is say so. It must be so hard for you, sweetie," she continues. "God deals us some strange hands sometimes, but it's our job to make the most of what he's given us. What are you two still doing here? Go on, go have fun." Her mother's antics are so warm that he smiles at her.
"Thank you, Caroline. If it would be alright, would she be able to go with me and my father on Sunday? We might miss school," he continues and her mother just nods.
"No hanky panky, though." Oh my god...She flushes bright scarlet and looks down, hiding her face in her hands.
"Of course not, Caroline. I give my word."
ooo
Fifteen minutes later, they manage to get out of the house.
"I'm sorry about my mother," she tells him. He smiles.
"She's great, partner. Now I see where you get it from," he says softly.
"What?"
"Your compassion." She smiles at him.
"I'll take that as a compliment," she says.
"Take it however you wish, pumpkin love." She blushes at the silly endearment and leans closer to him.
"I'm sorry I waited so long," she says after a few minutes. He shrugs.
"I knew you couldn't resist my wiles much longer," he replies and she smiles.
If you only knew, she thinks to herself.
And There Is The End Of Part 6...I'm Not Done Yet, I Promise! There's Still Some More To Come. Well, Bye For Now
xXxhurting-insidexXx