The Bucket List

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Tue May 21, 2013 5:12 pm

He could have been speaking in Spanish halfway through his speech and she probably would have nodded along like she understood it all. There was distant, glazed look in her eye and he knew she was no longer paying attention to him any longer. She was in some serious thought and he had a 89% assurance that it wasn't about what he was talking about. The living room was only filled with his voice and small little snip-its of the argument from the movie and yet she still didn't hear a word of it. Chase wanted to bite his tongue just in case he said something that could have offended her, but that'd be crazy. She wasn't married. Her parents could be married and maybe he just spelled out their lives right in front of her which got her depressed or something. At that point, he was just picking up straws, but they were fumbling through his fingers. She made a movement that looked like a shrug but he wouldn't put it past her to be something else.

This was weird. They didn't know each other and things got awkward while they were watching a movie. Weird.

"That doesn't mean I think you're depressing. You weren't thinking that, were you?" She shrugged at his question and went back to the movie. Back in the safe zone. Chase mimicked her shrug and settled back in the couch, grabbing a Fruit Roll up out of the back and wrapping it around a stack of Doritos, thinking nothing about it when he plopped in his mouth. He chewed for a moment, the tangy Cool Ranch mingling in between some mystery flavor that he wanted to guess at mango. It wasn't absolutely terrible, but maybe Cool Ranch wasn't the best choice.

"Hey, chill. Lot's of stories have screwed up endings. Like, sad as shit. You ever seen that movie The Bucket List with Morgan Freeman? Saddest ending ever, I swear."

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Tue May 21, 2013 6:00 pm

"Really?" Halimae asked, glancing over at him. Interesting that he would choose to bring up that movie as a sad ending..

"I actually didn't find the end of that movie to be sad. From the start of the movie, you knew it was coming. They were both going to die. It was inevitable. But it's still a good movie, right? There are funny parts, lovey dovey parts, all of that stuff. And what they achieved? It was incredible! I mean, they had what, six months? And they did all this awesome stuff just because they wanted to. I think it was a happy ending, in a way. They finished their list and went out satisfied."

She was quiet for just a moment after that, then she glanced at him with a smile.

"You know, when I saw that movie, I actually made my own list. The Disney marathon I was talking about is on it," she explained, glancing back at the screen and munching an Oreo nonchalantly.

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Mon Jun 10, 2013 8:12 pm

"You want to watch a Disney marathon before you croak? Weirdo." Chase was just happy that the awkward moment about trips and mothers and stuff was over. He didn't work well with serious conversations or anything remotely emotional. Actually, he avoided the two on all costs if he could. They brought nothing but sidelong glares, long sighs, and big speeches that usually didn't end well. Ultimately, they were just awkward as hell. Luckily, Chase learned the one thing that was absolutely full proof in order to foil a serious conversation: comedy. He would provide the comic relief in a funeral if he had to. Life shouldn't be frowns and someone kicking stones down a lonely boulevard.

"If I had to make my own list, I'd have stripping for a bachelorette party on one. But I don't want to be a cop because that's so overused. I want to be somebody weird, you know? Like a paleontologist. A Paleontologist stripper. Don' get no bedder'", he joked in his hard Southern accent he used to cheer his mom up. "After that, I'd probably want to go Universal Studios in the Harry Potter section. Check in at Hogwarts. Nibble on a couple of Berty Bott's. Who wouldn't want to go to heaven after that."

Chase waved his next Fruit Roll up into the air during his speech, bringing it down to his lips when the movie finally hit it's peak de resistance and nearly choked on it when the two main characters kissed. Half of the rollup in his mouth, he nudged Hali in the arm, motioning towards the television screen in disgust. "He said all of that so fake and she just takes him in open arms. Logic."

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Sat Jul 13, 2013 12:29 am

"I actually have the Harry Potter part of Universal on my list," Halimae admitted with a giggle. They were more alike than she had even realized. She looked up at the screen as he nudged her. Ah, the ending. The fighting and raving between the two always amused her, and she didn't honestly mind the kissing part as much as Chase seemed to. She shrugged and finished off her Oreo, then sat up a bit and pushed the tote against his leg.

"Alright, we both know how this movie goes from here. Pick a different one. Any one in there, I don't really care what it is. I've seen them all a bajillion times anyway," she said, smiling at him. This was a lot of fun, and she knew she'd be paying for it later. Her mother was going to lose her shit when she couldn't get ahold of Halimae, but the poor girl just needed a break from the imminent threat of death around every corner. Chase was perfect.

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Wed Aug 21, 2013 4:14 pm

Eating junk food. Watching a chick flick. Talking about death. Hali was pretty cool. Sure, he found her weird in the sense of "she's one of the popular girls why is she talking to me right now" kind of ways, but high school hierarchy couldn't be a place in his life everywhere he went. Those days were gone. leaving nothing to Chase but reluctant memories and a very, very long time for him to do something with his life. A small memory of Bobby trying to make him get a job flashed through his mind before his leg was nudged by her tote. Half of a Fruit Roll-Up in his mouth, he shrugged and rummaged around through the tote for another movie that he was most likely not going to fully pay attention to.

"Maid in Manhattan. No. Finding Nemo, seen it about a hundred times in English and 46 times in Spanish. 50 First Dates, nahhh. Hm, Meet the Fockers was funny. Hitch, no. Rango, no. James and the Giant Peach, you seriously still have this movie?" He held the case up and lifted an amused brow towards her before tossing it back into the tote. "Let's see, Titan-- Hell no. We'd both be in tears. Bruce Almighty is cool. Yeah...Yeah, let's watch th--Oh no no no no! I know what we're gonna watch!" All of a sudden, a DVD case was held 3 inches in front of Halimae's face with Chase beaming behind her.

"Tangled. Possibly the greatest movie of all time."

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Wed Aug 21, 2013 7:46 pm

Halimae just sat there, leaning back and relaxing as Chase had his way with the movies she had brought. Maybe she should have brought a bigger pick from her collection... Nahh, that would have just made it more difficult for the poor boy to decide which one he wanted to watch next! She smiled at the thought and set aside her snacks for now, watching him pick and discard several. Some of his reactions made her laugh, especially when he found James and the Giant Peach.

"A classic!" she insisted defensively, giggling. One of her favorites. She blinked as a movie was suddenly in her face, her eyes forced to focus. Oh! Well, who could complain of a close-up of the adorable Flynn?

"Alright! I love that one. Maximus is definitely my favorite. You pop it in and, uh.. Where is your restroom..?"

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Sat Aug 24, 2013 3:16 am

"Are you serious? All of those different characters and you like the horse? I mean, granted, he's pretty bad A, but come on, you can do better than that. Never wanted to be Rapunzel and start singing all of those corny songs?" He slid her another one of his joking smiles before jerking his head towards the hallway to his left. "Keep going down, to your right. It's dark so light switch is ummm, somewhere, I don't know." Chase made sure he back was turned before he stole an Oreo out of the pack and shoved it in his mouth. While he inserted Tangled into the DVD player and returned the discarded movie to its case, he finally realized how much fun he was having. Granted, he was eating away nervously at a current 5,003 calories per snack, but there wasn't much he could do about that.

Halimae was the first company he had over in weeks, and it beat staying in his house alone for a week with no parents and no Bobby. No Bobby was the hard part, because while his brother was not annoying, he was still good company and gave Chase a reason to come out of his room. He was positive that he would have been in total isolation if Halimae hadn't allowed herself to have cheesy spilled all over her. Leaning back on the couch and swiping the remote that was teetering on the arm rest, he chewed on the cookie thoughtfully. Hali's mom seemed too overly worried about her daughter at odd times of the day. Should be worried too? And about what? Nothing could be done for his curiosity than wait it out.

Maybe Halimae had secrets she couldn't express. Secrets just like him...

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Sat Aug 24, 2013 12:31 pm

Halimae just laughed and made her way down the hall until she found the bathroom. He was right, it was dark. She ran her hand along the wall until she found the lightswitch and flicked it on. Ahh, much better. She closed the door behind her and locked it out of long habit at home when she needed a minute. To be honest, she didn't even need to use the bathroom, she just didn't want to have a moment in front of Chase and make him flip out. She carefully walked over to the sink, swaying slightly before she reached it. The floor tilted and she braced herself on the wall, shakily reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small prescription bottle. She popped it open and her body spasmed, causing her to drop the bottle on the floor and scatter pills everywhere.

"Shit.." she whispered to herself, dropping to her hands and knees and scooping them all back in to the bottle rapidly. She missed two of the little red pills but didn't notice, too busy swallowing one and putting the bottle back in her pocket. Phew. He'd never know. She flushed the toilet and got up, washing her hands and taking a few deep breaths. Much better.

She went back out to the living room and hopped on the couch next to him with a grin.

"Cookie stealer!"

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Sat Aug 24, 2013 8:18 pm

Time away from Hali did nothing for his thoughts. They wandered off on an endless path to nothing; starting at nothing, ending at nothing. The track of his mind had now become swerved and hardly defined, like an old country trial leading into a thicket of a dark forest. It was the time in his day where he disassociated himself from reality and thought of nothing but everything inwards. His thoughts, his feelings, his insecurities. Reality detached itself from his inner lobe and he let it go free, regardless of what his physical body was doing. To him, he was cold, as if touched by death, each and every time he dwelt within himself. Longing for answers... Never finding reprieve...

"Cookie stealer!" Reality came back down on him like Hiroshima, his body swept with a blast of hot air so fiery that it took all but sheer will power to stop him from clawing away at the clothes on his chest. His eyes faltered between darkness and Halimae's figure, returning back to their natural state in seconds. Slowly, Chase returned back to Earth and with it, his familiar boyish grin.

"Caught me red-handed, chief! My only regret is that I only stole one." His smile grew when he caught her eyes but wavered when he noticed the color of her skin. She was so unnaturally pale, lighter than he remembered her being. Chase compared her skin to an off-pearl and was shocked to find her on the border-line of chalked.

"Ahhh..."he cawed awkwardly, not able to find the words to fixate into a decent sentence.

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Sat Aug 24, 2013 8:26 pm

"Uhhhh what?" Halimae teased, not guessing how observant he was. She grinned and prodded him in the side, then scooped up the remote and hit 'play'. The familiar voice of the oh-so-sexy-for-an-animated-man Flynn came up telling the background of the whole movie and she relaxed back on the couch.

"So, Chase, are you a thief? Other than of cookies, I mean," she asked with a smile, picking up her drink as she looked over at him curiously. His expression was.. strange. She didn't understand the change, but she figured he was just focused on the movie or lost in thought or something. There was no way he knew anything.. bad. She had been careful! She told herself to quit worrying and instead leaned back against the couch, glancing at the screen as the movie continued on.

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Sat Aug 24, 2013 8:45 pm

"Me? A thief? Well..." Back was the mischievous twinkle in his grey-green eyes and gone was the thoughts of internal void that plagued him seconds ago. He twisted around to meet her gaze with a coy smirk playing on his lips.

"Sometimes the ladies like to refer to me as Chase the Ripper. You know, like Jack the Ripper? Only terribly more sexy, of course," he added with a playful wink. It was clear that he caught onto the persona Flynn Ryder sported. He crossed one leg over the other and tilted his head backwards, casually drawing another Oreo from Halimae's side and waving it into the air as if he were spinning a tale (which was, in some ways, true.)

"They say I like to catch them off guarded and unarmed, but not in the Beowulf sort of way. Because that, my dear, would mean that they were naked, and that's just not looked high upon in high societies. You wouldn't find me complaining though, no mam! I'd just have grabbed me a blonde on my left arm as soon as the brunette was leaving my right! The feminine masses say I just ripped their hearts right from their chest! Er, figuratively speaking, of course." He added in another wink and flashed his white toothed grin even while Rapunzel's mother began saying about knowing what's best.

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Sat Aug 24, 2013 8:49 pm

Halimae laughed and swiped his waving Oreo right out of his fingers, munching on it as she casually curled up against his side. How convenient that his new position allowed her to do so! He was quite warm and comfortable, really. At least today her body wasn't ice cold like it was sometimes. He was still warm in comparison, but not freakily so.

"I prefer Gayse over Chase the Ripper," she informed him airily, finishing off the cookie and sticking her black-crumbed tongue out at him.

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Sat Aug 24, 2013 8:57 pm

"And that's nice thing about my imagination, Hali,"he grinned, directing his gaze down at the level she descended herself and her cookie infested tongue, "No one cares what you think." It took all but 4 seconds but him to realize that he and she were far too close to be considered a casual "sit down" between two friends. There was no sugar coating the image and reality of her body being snugged slowly against his. For some odd reason, his own body reacted accordingly, though not due to familiarity. It just felt...right. His arm slung around her back, not quite pulling her close but holding her in place until she felt the need to back up.

Of course, he would have been a lying fool to say that he wanted her to do that.

"I don't get it. Why do Mom's always think they know best? I mean, I get being raised by them and carried in the womb for 14 months and blah blah blah... but, come on. Every 16 year old has their own way of seeing the world. Why do Mom's feel like they have to force their world view on teens like us? Like, seriously, leave us the hell alone sometimes..."

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Sat Aug 24, 2013 9:01 pm

"Hey!" she exclaimed, laughing. She felt his arm curl around her and it made her smile in delighted surprise. For some reason she had expected him to brush her off or get nervous or something, but he wasn't. Not that she would ever push anything further, of course. It was just nice, for a day, to pretend that she could afford something so common as a teenage crush.

"Fourteen months?! Chase, if your mother carried you that long, she would have probably shot herself," she said, shaking her head. "It's ten months, but I get your point. My mother doesn't really understand the whole 'backing off' idea. She thinks that her way is the only way. I mean, if I told her that I planned on leaving the country, she'd flip!"

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Sun Aug 25, 2013 11:42 pm

"You're what? Leaving to go where?!" The question came out before he could stop it, but it might as well had been said aloud because it wasn't going to leave his head. To tell the truth, he was afraid. He had just met Halimae and now she was planning on leaving not only the town, but the entire country? He tried not to let his shock show through the awkward silence that passed after his question. Rapunzel and Flynn were running for their lives, so he had enough of a distraction until she gave her reasoning.

"I mean, moving is okay but...sheesh..."

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Sun Aug 25, 2013 11:52 pm

"I want to travel," she said simply, half shrugging as if it was no big deal. Honestly, it was a huge deal. She had secretly gotten her passport and had used every cent of her savings on a single ticket to England. From there, she had no idea what she was going to do. Walk around and see the sights until she died, she supposed. Cross a few things off her list. Anything was better than sitting around this sleepy town while her mother hovered like some kind of deranged moth.

"Are you upset?" she asked, glancing at him as Rapunzel had her big 'aha' moment in the cave when she recalled her hair could glow and save them. Chase didn't seem happy anymore.

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Tue Aug 27, 2013 3:02 am

The expression he gave to her couldn't have spelled his feelings out more than it could have if he said them himself. Halimae hardly budged at his question. As incredulous as he was, she merely shrugged as if he asked for a cup of tea. It took a second to pick his jaw off of the floor when she explained that she wanted to travel.

"Yeah, but traveling is one thing. Leaving the States to like live somewhere that's...you know, not the States. I mean that means moving. Not like, moving moving... Like... MOVING moving, you know?" He wasn't making any sense whatsoever. The movie became lost to him as his full focus and attention turned to Hali. Scratching the right side of his back with a free hand, he mumbled absentmindedly on the last Oreo in the bag to give himself something to do while he waited for his response. Mind whirring a thousand miles a minute, he hoped and prayed that she only wanted to travel and travel only.

Because what a sinker that would be to find out that the only girl he could actually hold a decent conversation other than his mother was going to leave the entire country!

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Tue Aug 27, 2013 5:22 pm

Halimae sighed softly. He was freaking out. But why? Did he have feelings for..? No, no. She absolutely, positively refused to even think it. Chase was a nice boy who was destined for somebody else - somebody who wasn't dying. It was no business of hers to get all tangled up in him when she could do nothing more than hopelessly crush on his adorable self. She would not be so selfish. Yet now she was stuck trying to figure out how to detach herself without upsetting him further.

"I'm really sorry, Chase," she said quietly, looking up at him and holding his gaze. "I don't plan on coming back. I want to see the world, experience everything. That list was made to be crossed out, you know?" she asked with a half smile. She was quiet for a few moments, then she tilted her head at him.

"I have a ticket to England in three days. I want to ride the London Eye. I'll take pictures and send them back here to you. I can write you letters. I don't know if you can respond since I won't be carrying a mailbox around with me.. but you can text me or something!"

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Wed Aug 28, 2013 8:32 pm

Tangled was going to be ruined for him for the rest of his life. Every day he lived, if that movie played, he would always associate it with Halimae telling him that she was leaving for England. In three days. Forever. The air around the two grew more ominous by the second during their awkward breaks of silences. The only that was playing was the cheesy Disney songs that the character's seemed appealed to jump into every 20 minutes. His appetite for junk food disappeared. His desire to watch one of his favorite movies was squashed. But Hali was still his company, and a stranger at that. Fighting hard to keep a straight face, he threw her a crooked smile.

"Yeah right. You know you're not going to get any signal all the way in England to text me. It's a sweet through though!" It was torture to bite the inside of his cheek. That's just the way things were, however. Chase could have everything he wanted with his parents blowing money on him, but a conversation... pleasurable company? The universe refused for him to have any friends. Without him noticing it, Chase tightened his hold around Halimae's shoulders, keeping her as close to him as he could, because 72 hours was not a long a time.

Until an idea struck him.

"...What if I come with you?"

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Wed Aug 28, 2013 8:44 pm

"Come with me?"

Chase in England? With her? Was that even possible? Well, of course it was possible. Anything was possible. The real question was whether or not it would happen. He had a pair of parents that, even if he wasn't overly fond of them, cared a lot about him. Wouldn't they care if he just took off for England with nothing more than a few days of warning?

Then again, she planned on doing the exact same thing without even telling her parents.

Her biggest issue with him coming along was that she knew this was a one-way ticket for her. She wasn't going to be coming home. He didn't know that. It would be foolish and selfish to encourage him to be at her side when she could very well die and leave him alone in some foreign country. But it was so tempting to not be alone.. to have a familiar, adorable face at her side the entire way..

"I'd like that.."

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Thu Aug 29, 2013 2:01 am

"Tch, yeah, of course come with you! It'd be cool! Look, look,"he exclaimed, facing her directly with his hands spread out in front of them.

"I just tell my Moms and Dad that I got interested in this Summer Program for my school! Trust me, those two are all about Summer Programs, especially my Moms! She's like a little demoness when it comes to school when school is still out, you know? Whatever, whatever, yeah. So. Yeah. I'll tell 'em I wanna do this Summer Program for like... teaching at foreign schools. Yeah, like, teaching English in a different country! And there's this like, retreat trip for kids who want to teach a course for like, the rest of the year or something! I don't know, they probably wouldn't look for the deatils, but come on, it's perfect!"

He took a deep inhale and broke out into a giant grin. "I've always wanted to go to England anyway! I heard they had like the best...english muffins. Okay, I lied, I didn't hear anything great about England, but that doesn't mean I'm still not going!"

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Thu Aug 29, 2013 2:06 am

Halimae laughed.

"I think you're want something more solid than that in case they do ask questions. Just like make up a fake brochure and print it out or something. Oh, and a letter saying you were accepted to come! You can just say you thought you weren't going to get in and that's why you didn't mention it!" she exclaimed, getting very excited about this whole thing.

"Oh, Chase, this is going to be so much fun!" she added, throwing her arms around him in a thrilled hug.

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Thu Aug 29, 2013 3:03 am

"No, seriously, they'll buy it, I swear. My Mom and Dad never look into anything of the things I do. If anybody looks into anything, it'd be Bobby, but I don't care about him. I'm still going whether he likes it or not because England is kick ass." He didn't want to add that he would be with Halimae the entire time he was in a completely different country, but that fact was evident across his face. He was really going to leave The States to be with Hali, someone he hadn't even known for two days.

And honestly, he couldn't have been happier.

"Oh, Chase, this is going to be so much fun!" Chase didn't even blink before Halimae pelted herself into his arms in a frantic hug. His arms automatically fell to her back, his giggling getting more awkward by the second. Chase realized that he had no idea what to say! He was speechless at how fast everything was moving. Hell, even Rapunzel just got kidnapped by her mother and that seemed like it would have taken half an hour for that to happen. His face burned with a deep blush at having a girl in his arms all alone in his house like that. Pulling away would be a trial, because if he met her eyes, it may as well been his undoing.

Yeah, I-I bet, Hali...!"

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Thu Aug 29, 2013 9:28 pm

"We can ride the London Eye and make fun of the palace guards and take pictures with Big Ben! Oh, and then we can backpack to France and see everything.. You are the best," Hali exclaimed, squeezing him one last time before laughing and letting him go to sit back. He seemed kind of jittery, maybe she hugged too tight?

"Sorry, I kind of got carried away. Why're you blushing?" she asked curiously, watching Flynn and Rapunzel falling in love as she snuggled back against Chase's side with her cookies.

Subject: Re: The Bucket List Sat Aug 31, 2013 12:51 am

"I wasn't!" He answered her too quickly, falling back into the back groove he made in the sofa. Halimae snuggled against him once more. This time, his arm was ready to gather her back towards him. It was natural for him now, but his heart was racing a thousand miles a minute! He was going to be going to England with Halimae. The adrenaline of lying to his parents to escape to a get away with a complete stranger was the strangest high he had ever experienced. Her being gorgeous was definitely a plus; more than that! His cheeks were still beet red, but he didn't think she was too much paying attention to him anymore. Flynn and Rapunzel were falling for one another.

"Cheesy." Chase was never one for awkward situations. The movie continued just like that, Halimae snuggled in Chase's arm even while Rapunzel was fighting from freedom from her 'mother'. Chase looked down at the top of Halimae's head. She seemed into the movie like she had never seen it before in her life. Eyes swinging to the tv as Flynn cupped Rapunzel's chin in his hand, he gave her a small squeeze.

"This part always gets me. I mean, I'm a man and all, but come on..." His voice fell off as Flynn severed Rapunzel's hair.