[ twenty ] bucketlist
Prudence sat in her room, waiting for Ashton.
Part of her was excited because she was going to spend time with him, especially since he said they were friends. The other part of her was nervous. She had never gone out with a boy before and she didn't know how to behave.
She pulled her old sheet of paper on which she had written her bucketlist.
Her eyes fell upon one of the items on the list.
56. Make a new friend.
She crossed that one out. If Ashton considered her a friend, then that meant she had made a new friend.
Then she saw another one.
88. My first date.
She didn't know whether to cross it out of not. She knew it was just a friend thing with Ashton, but she also knew she might not go on an actual date and she didn't have much time yet.
.
.
.
.
Ashton arrived to pick her up in the afternoon.
The other boys didn't come with him. He had lied and told him he was headed to the grocery store for some snacks, but instead he went to see Prudence.
Martha, who had the day off work, saw her youngest daughter headed for the front door. Findind it odd that Prudence was going out with someone, she stopped her. "Sweetie, where are you headed off to?"
Prudence replied with a warm smile. "Ashton is going to take me out somewhere."
Mrs. Carrigan's face contorted into a look of worry. "Well, just be careful. You barely even know him. Besides, all boys are only after one thing."
Shaking her head, Prudence said, "Ashton is different. Besides, we're only friends. He's not interested in me."
She opened the door to see a dark grey Prius car parked in her driveway. He got out of the car with a grin as he saw her approaching. He opened his arms out for her and she went into them, wrapping her own arms around him for a friendly hug.
When they pulled away, he smiled down at her. "Ready for an afternoon slash night of fun?"
"Where will you take me?" She asked curiously.
"That is a surprise." He grinned.
She peered behind him, half expecting to see the other boys inside the car. But when she noticed they were nowhere to be found, she asked him, "What about the boys? Are they coming?"
Ashton shook his head. "I was kind of hoping for it to be just us two."
Prudence smiled, she felt the most comfortable around him anyway. "Okay, lets go then."
.
.
.
.
As they approached the coast, Prudence's eyes were trained on the crystal waters of the beach. He pulled into the parking lot and she let out an excited gasp.
"The beach is so lovely, Ashton. Thank you for brining me here." She turned to him with a smile full of appreciation.
They both got out of the car and she walked ahead of him, her strides becoming quicker as she got closer to the water. The cool sea breeze that blew against her face made her smile wide. She turned to look at Ashton who was a couple of feet away.
"Come on, Ash! Hurry." She told him.
He felt a pang in his heart seeing her so happy, knowing he and his mates would soon crush her. It wasn't fair to her.
With a sigh, he put on a smile and jogged up to her.
She sat down in the sand, just out of reach of the waves. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she watched the waves crash upon the shore. He sat next to her, feeling the warmth of her body next to his.
Reaching into her sweater pocket, she pulled out her bucketlist and a pen. She unfolded the sheet of paper and crossed something out.
22. Go to the beach.
"What are you doing?" He asked her, looking at the list she held in her hands. Though he already knew what it was. He had already seen her list when he looked through her room that one time.
She turned to him with a polite smile. "Its my bucketlist of things I'd like to do before I die."
"You're sixteen." He reasoned. "You're way too young to be thinking about dying."
"God is the keeper of plans. He is the one who decides how long one's mission on earth is to last. It doesn't matter if you're young or old." She explained.
He sighed. "But...why would God take someone so young? Its like...when children die? What is the purpose of that? They'll never get to experience life, they'll never get to grow up. That's just not fair." He countered.
Setting a hand on his shoulder and looking him right in the eyes, she told him, "Please don't speak that way about the Lord. He knows why he does things. Most of the time, when someone dies, it is because they have fulfilled their mission on earth. For example, someone dying of cancer. God takes them back into his glory because he wants to ease their suffering. He is merciful and he loves us. You must never forget that."
He nodded silently.
As an idea crossed his mind, he smiled, changing the subject. "Hey, why don't you let me help you get everything done on your list? I have a car that can get us places and that way you don't have to do them on your own. Its a win-win."
She remained hesitant for a few seconds, thinking about her options. He was right. Without him, there was no way she would finish everything on her own.
A smile slowly appeared on her face and she replied. "Alright, Ashton. But there is one condition to this agreement."
"Name anything." He told her.
"Promise me that you won't fall in love with me." Her blue-grey eyes stared into his hazel ones.
He nodded in agreement. "Deal." After all, he saw her as more like a sister.
She extended her hand out slowly for him to shake. He took her hand in his and the deal was sealed.
Getting up from her spot in the sand, Prudence shook herself off and bend down. She picked up a handful of sand in her small hands and molded it into a ball. The humid sand collided with Ashton's shoulder as she chucked it at him playfully.
He watched her run off before a grin formed on his lips.
He hurriedly got back on his feet and called out, "This means war, Carrigan!"
"Only if you can catch me, Irwin!" She called back.
And the two spent the rest of the night having fun.
-
NEW UPDATE!
DO YOU GUYS THINK ASHTON IS DOING ALL OF THIS JUST TO WIN THE CONTEST AGAINST HIS MATES OR DO YOU THINK HE GENUINELY CARES ABOUT PRUDENCE?
YEAH, I GOT THE 'PROMISE YOU WON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH ME' FROM A WALK TO REMEMBER.
I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE NEW CHAPTER.
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING ME AND THIS STORY.
I LOVE YOU.
-CLARY xx
