Chapter 2

***

Quinn woke up feeling much better than the night before. It seemed as if the uneasiness dissipated. It seemed gone, to simply put it. She couldn't remember what it felt like.

Quinn shook Ari awake, who was next to her.

"What? It's a Saturday!" Ari whined, covering himself with a blanket -because of the lack of warmth from Quinn- and turned to the other side.

"Come on," Quinn tried shaking Ari awake but he wouldn't budge. "Will you go on a date with me?" Quinn asked, seemingly shy, but she knew exactly what she was doing.

"No,"

"I'm breaking up with you," Quinn huffed, turning around.

"Yes,"

"Yes, I should break up with you?" Quinn asked in slight disbelief.

"No!" Ari turned, and looked at Quinn who was trying to hold her laughter in. He looked at her. "You're such a little bitch, sometimes,"

"So, is that a, 'Yes,' for that date?" Quinn asks.

"Do I have a choice, though?"

"Are you going to say, 'No,' again?"

"Maybe,"

"Then, no, you don't have a choice,"

"Okay, get ready, I have something in mind,"

"Wow, you're so romantic,"

"Just go," Ari says, pointing in the direction of Quinn's closet and bathroom. Giggling, Quinn crawled out of bed and went to the bathroom. Ari just watches her go, making sure she actually goes to shower and get dressed.

Not moments later, he hear coughing from the bathroom. Quickly running, Ari goes to check on Quinn. She was bent over the toilet, taking ragged breaths. It seemed like every gasp hurt. Quinn had vomited just a little blood, a lot of water, and other bodily liquids.

"Are you sure we should go out?" Ari asked as he cleaned up Quinn and made her sit on the bed.

"I'll be fine, just a little water and a mask, and we're good to go," Quinn clapped her hands together like she came up a brilliant idea. It was quite the opposite.

"Quinn, I don't think so," Ari said.

"Please," Quinn begs. "I really want to go out after spending so long at home,"

"Well, what about school?" Ari asks encouragingly but a small tear escapes from Quinn's eyes.

"I'm not allowed to go anymore, yesterday was my last day,"

"Quinn! You should told me, I would have made it special," Ari says, holding up her hands.

"I would have, but it means that my sickness is growing, and becoming worse," Quinn lets out a shaky breath. "I am slowly going into the, uh, unrecoverable place, where I can't be healed but only hope to spend the last few months, weeks, or days, of my life,"

Another tear escaped from Quinn's eyes. It took Ari all his willpower to be strong for Quinn. To not breakdown there and cry with her, but to be the one she cries to.

"Say something, it's okay to cry," Quinn said, slowly grasping at Ari's shirt. "Please," She leant against him, staring in the same direction as him, eyes hollow and vacant. She slowly cried but it seemed more painful on the inside than it was the breaking-down type.

She knew it was coming. Death. But she hadn't prepared, she hadn't lived.

"I haven't finished living," Quinn said slowly, looking up at Ari. He gave her a small smile, tired, painful, weary, and sad.

"You're still alive,"

"I'm-I'm still alive," Quinn said slowly. Her mind was busy working. She looked at Ari, still confused. Her eyes were clearly telling Ari that she had an idea.

"Yes, you are...," Ari said, unsure.

"I'm frickin' alive, still," Quinn said excited. "I'm still alive, so why are we feeling sad like I died?"

"I get that, so what?"

"So what? It means, I'm still alive so I shouldn't regret. I should make sure that I don't regret," Quinn was beyond excited.

"I don't get it,"

"All I'm saying is, I shouldn't regret right now because I still can do things. I could be bedridden the next day, for all we know. I don't want to feel stupid for spending my last day with freedom, moping,"

"I get it, so like a mission to do everything you've wanted to do,"

"Exactly, you get it," Quinn stood up on her bed and hopped around a bit while speaking. "Like a... a b.. bucket list!"

"Oh, right, you should have one, right?"

"No..., I don't have one,"

"Well, get writing, then," Ari said, shooing Quinn off to find a notebook and a pen. Beyond happy, and nervous, Quinn quickly walked out of the room. Ari sighed, exasperated but happy. A couple seconds later, Quinn came back to the room, walking backwards.

"My stationary is in this room,"

"Really ?" Ari asked, sarcastic. Quinn just gave him a crooked smile as she rummaged through her dresser for her notebooks and a simple, black-inked pen. Black was classy, thought Quinn.

Most of her books were filled but she found a simple, black, hardbound book. It had a few scribbles in the first and last pages. Quickly ripping them out and throwing them in the bin, Quinn grabbed her pen and hopped onto the bed.

"We'll start with 3 things for now," Ari prompted as Quinn stared at her empty page. "If you have any more ideas, add them. Your bucket list is built over time,"

"God knows how much I have of that," Quinn mumbled, but heard by Ari.

"Hey, don't think like that," Ari looked at Quinn's eyes. They were excited but they were dull, tired and exhausted, sad. How could he have not noticed before?

"I think I'm going to die, Ari," Quinn admitted. Her deep brown pupils seemed to darken. Almost black, but her pupil was deeper. It made her look so much more scared and tired. She seemed at peace with death. But she wasn't not yet atleast.

"No, you're not,"

"No, I'm not," Quinn agreed, tired of hearing the words.

"So, what's your first thing in the list?"

"Go on a midnight ice cream date with Ari," Quinn read out from her book. What looked like scribbles, was her hand-writing only discernible by herself, Ari and -apparently- the teachers.

"Why is that the first thing?"Ari asked, amused. He didn't know if he felt excited or proud, that the first thing Quinn wanted to do related to him. Like the beginning of her journey was with him.

"Because," Quinn shrugged. She didn't know why. It was the first thing that she thought of. So she wrote it.

"I agree with you," Ari nodded in sarcastic enthusiasm. Quinn hadn't given a reason, so he didn't know what to expect. But he understood just the same. "So, keep your window slightly open and get sleep in the afternoon,"

"Wait-,"

"Yes, we're sneaking out, but you have to bring your mask, wear a hoodie, and full pants,"

"Why?" Quinn whined.

"Because I care about you and because of mosquitoes, the cold, and probably million diseases and sicknesses you could get. And allergies,"

"Wow," Quinn rolled her eyes. "Fine, but it's going to look good,"

"You look good in everything,"

"So cheesy," Quinn fake-gagged. "Besides, you haven't seen me with my hair in a messy bun, just sweats and a stained hoodie,"

"And who, may I ask, was blessed with this image?"

"Mary Anne," Quinn giggled. "And my mirror. It really was terrifying. I threw my hairbrush at the mirror,"

"I'd throw a hairbrush at your mirror anyway," Ari joked.

"You hurt my self-esteem," Quinn slapped the back of Ari's head. "Go home, we meet tonight,"

"Okay, fine, but you cannot, under any circumstances, call me today because I'll probably reveal too much,"

"What's there to reveal?"

"Stuff,"

"Oh?" Quinn smirked.

"Disgusting," Ari pushed her away. "I have something in mind, but if I tell you, I don't want to let you down,"

"You never could,"

"Yes, I could,"

"Yeah, you could," Quinn nodded, thinking of a million different ways. "Man bun. Ew,"

"What?"

Quinn just shuddered. "The horror,"

"I... will see you tonight," Ari said, nervously. Quinn couldn't stop picturing it.

"The horror,"

***

~chapter completed~

unedited

***