Summary: Lily, Wyatt, Scott and Trevor are on a mission: To finish everything on Lily's bucket list before she kicks the bucket. Lily has been told she has three months to live and two weeks before she goes completely blind from the tumor in her brain. Her three best friends embark on a road trip to California from their small town in Illinois with just five things on her list left. But for Lily and her friends, this cross-country trip will give some of them a chance to make peace with the demons in their minds, others the chance to confront hidden feelings and for all of them, the chance to say goodbye. How do you say goodbye to someone who's been in your life since the moment you opened your eyes? How do you comprehend that they won't be there anymore, that soon enough, there will be a gap in your life that you won't be able to fill? And if you know what's coming ahead, how do you give them your heart, knowing it'll be given back to you in pieces?
Part One: Wyatt
"Hurry up, guys! We're trying to beat the traffic!" Wyatt ran a hand through his short blonde hair, feeling the rocking of the car as Scott tossed Lily's final bag into the trunk. He tried really hard not to acknowledge lily's stuffed teddy bear smack in the middle of the backseat.
Thinking of life a month from now sent a jolt of pain into his heart. The very image of Lily's still face in his mind caused him to suck in a breath.
This is just asking for trouble, he thought to himself. The passenger seat opened and he turned his head to smile at Lily as she climbed in the seat beside him but he couldn't get the corners of his mouth to go all the way up. It was almost a grimace to which Lily frowned at.
"You okay?" She asked gently. Lily's voice was always so gentle and caring. Lily was the kind of person to come running if anyone ever needed her, no matter pissed she was at them seconds later. She was the kind of person that would jump in front of a bus for a complete stranger.
To Wyatt, who didn't believe in a god or any other higher power that people make up to make themselves feel better, Lily was a symbol of the good in the world. He couldn't name anyone better.
If there is a God judging us from his throne in the sky and he's just watching her die, then that's one sick bastard I don't wanna know. Wes was reasonably forgiving to those who knew him but he wouldn't forgive this.
"Wyatt?"
"Yo, Wyatt, wake up! Time to get this road on the show!"
"Yeah, we're not getting any younger."
Wyatt blinked and snapped himself out of his thoughts. He never answered Lily.
"Next stop, Jefferson City!"
Trevor and Scott erupted in cheers, beating the backseat with their hands. Beside Wyatt, Lily was drumming on the glove department in front of her. The smile on her face leaked none of the pain that quaked through her body. She seemed happy.
Scott leaned forward with his arm outstretched to turn on the radio and cranks up All I want by A Day to Remember. The words seem to voice exactly what Wyatt was feeling but he wouldn't let himself admit it. Trevor started headbanging to the music while singing along, terribly off key.
Wyatt caught Lily's laugh and his hands relaxed on the wheel, a smile already spreading on his face. Scott, who was a bass in the choir at their high school as well as the star soccer player that led their school to the championship every year since he was placed on first string. plus MVP of the basketball team, joined in loudly.
"All I wanted was a place to call my own! To mend the hearts of everyone who feels alone! WOOHOA! You know to keep your hopes up high and your head down low!"
Will we have more moments like this? The thought crept into Wyatt's mind while his guard was down. Will I ever see them laughing this hard again?
Wyatt had never seen Trevor without a smile except for the time he beat up his dad for hitting his mother and kicked him out the house. Seeing a frown on Trevor's face just seemed unnatural; he was that guy, that happy-go-lucky, California sunshine surfer kind of guy. If Lily dies...Trevor might never smile again. The thought made Wyatt's reality all the more real and all the more unbearable.
"Earth to Wyatt! Come in, Wyatt!"
Wyatt smiled at Trevor's Star Trek voice.
"You can't zone out like that when you're behind the wheel. I plan on living til I'm fifty."
He didn't mean to but Scott hit a nerve. Wyatt's hands tightened on the steering wheel but he forced his face to mask his feelings. No need to alert Lily.
"Can we stop at Taco Bell? I'm starving."
"You ate half an hour ago, Trevor," Lily pointed out with a hint of a smile on her lips.
"Dude, that was forever ago!"
Lily giggled into her hand.
"I'll stop at the next one," Wyatt promised. They had only made it a few miles out of Chicago and he wanted to cover a little more mileage before making a pit-stop. Their little journey would be a ten day trip at the least and Wyatt didn't want to waste any time.
Focus on the road, Wyatt thought to himself before pushing everything to the back of his mind.
