(A 'The Fault in Our Stars' fan-fic')
An hour passed since his pre-funeral was over, and when Isaac's mom picked him (Isaac) from the Literal Heart of Jesus and went ahead of us, Augustus requested me to take him to Funky Bones, but before that I called his dad first to reassure that it's okay to take him to Funky Bones, via Augustus' request, and his dad says that it's totally alright as long as Gus should be home by his usual curfew, 10pm. I checked my phone for the time. I have an hour or less to fulfill his request. And so, I drove to Funky Bones with Augustus calling shotgun.
As we arrived at Funky Bones, I helped Gus sit down from his wheelchair to the grass and after that I did, and so eventually we did. Nobody said a single word. We just sat down, leaning on the bones that were erupting from the ground and from each other. So I still sat there, waiting.
Waiting for what exactly? I didn't really know. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to face him. His crooked, Augustinian smile graced his lips, a knowing one, as if he knew what was coming next. He did.
He pointed to the night sky, and said "Hazel Grace, I've heard this thing about counting stars. They say that if you count nine stars straight in nine days, your wish will come true on the ninth day. And I've been counting them for eight days now." He paused here, and it seemed like a rehearsed one like the time where he told me that he spent his wish on a trip to Amsterdam, to meet Peter Van Houten, who was the author of the book "An Imperial Affliction", the book that lead me and Augustus closer. Which was also the time when Augustus was still not made up of cancer.
"And tonight is the ninth night, Hazel Grace. But then, I'm really tired right now, so can I ask you to count nine stars to complete my wish?" Even now, Augustus is still making his wishes, even if his body right now is made up of cancer, and his life may be a tick away (which I hope isn't) to blowing up like a grenade.
"Okay." So I did. But since it rained like a few moments ago, which was a rarity in Indianapolis, the stars were kind of hard to find.
The clouds were covering most of them but I started counting the moment I saw one. I moved from the first star, then the next and so on. And just as soon as I reached the eighth star, and was about to search for the ninth star, the clouds started to cover up most of the sky. I looked around to search for the last star. I looked from the right and I saw nothing. The same thing happened when Iooked to the left. I couldn't find the ninth star.
"Um, Gus, I only counted eight of them. I couldn't find the ninth star." I gave him a guilty look as if it was my fault for not fulfilling his wish, but then I returned it back as soon as I saw his crooked smile. He's up to something.
And then he finally broke up the silence, and said "That's okay, Hazel Grace." And then he unzipped his jacket which revealed, for all the things to be found at this moment, a star.
"Nine." I flashed a grin because I managed to count all of his nine stars, which then turned into a laugh because of what just happened.
"Are you really sure that that star is a legit star in your tale of nine stars?" We both laughed.
"No one said about printed stars not being included, so I included them." He sounded like he's not sick. Like the times before we went to Amsterdam.
"Okay, if that's how you wanna do your wishes, I won't argue with you." he smiled a wary crooked smile and then he gazed up at the sky.
"Now, I can manage to make a wish again." I'm kind of nervous of what kind of wish he'll make, hoping it's not a wish that can be life threatening.
"What wish you will you make this time?" My curiousity, being a bitch, made me ask him about it.
"Hazel Grace, I would like to wish upon all these stars, that we can remain like this, for God knows how long we'll be able to, and that I can truly leave a permanent mark in this world, and that the young woman with me right now, may come to like the choices she makes as much as I like mine." and as he finished that sentence, my tears suddenly start to build up on my eyes, and then I cried again, like a few moments ago when I was pre-eulogizing him at his pre-funeral.
"But apparently.." I let out a whimper because I'm crying and talking at the same time but, "The world is not a wish-granting factory." I managed to finish it. And then I put my head to his shoulder gently.
"And that's true, Hazel Grace. It was proved to us by the undenying universe that the world is not a wish-granting factory, but I think I had that one wish granted already." He paused, this time, he looked up at me with those eyes of his that were glistening like the stars above.
"You see, I'm able to remain like this" he held up my hands and then kissed them "with the woman I spent my wishes with for the time I am able to, and that I truly left a permanent mark" he pointed towards my heart "Right here. I left you a permanent mark, Hazel Grace." and then he planted a kiss on my forehead.
"It's a good life, Hazel Grace." and then he grabbed my shoulder to make me lean towards him. I did, gently, afraid of hurting him.
"It's not over yet, Gus." I half-whispered, half-whimpered.
"Hazel Grace, I'm sorry." For what, exactly?
"What do you have to be sorry for?" I wiped the tears and falling from my face.
"I'm sorry for being the grenade." It took me a moment to realize that what was happening now was the opposite of what was supposed to happen. I was supposed to be the one dying right now, not him. I was supposed to be the grenade, not him. I was supposed to be the one who dies in the end, not him. And as far as any pain can take me, I wasn't the one supposed to say the next few words that are about to come out from my mouth, but him.
"Don't be. I'm gonna have to rephrase what you said to me. 'It'd be a privillege to have my heart broken by you" and I gave him a smile. A tear dropped from his eye.
"And lastly, I think that the young woman with me right now, liked her choices, like I liked mine." I manage to make smile then.
"Okay?" and to reassure him that everything is going to be fine, I managed to reply a single "Okay"
At that time, I felt like that moment was infinite. Like we would seem to last forever. But then, nothing in this world stays permanent, including this moment with Gus.
So we lay down the grass, staring up at the not-cloud covered sky anymore, looking up at the stars.
And after that trip from Funky Bones, it was the last time I ever drove Augustus Waters home.
And it was also the last time that I ever get to see him.
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Author's Note:
OKAY. THIS IS PURELY A FAN-FICTION. FAN-FICTION, I TELL YA! So yeah, this is more of my way of welcoming 2015! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Um. I had the idea of the nine stars from this one-shot I read from one of my favorite authors here in Wattpad, ate Alyloony (FAN NIYA PO AKO OMG ATE ALYLOONY!!!!! AYLABYUUU !!) and that I could've never written this fan-fic without one of my bestfriend's idea to make a narration out of my seemingly cliche date with this person I'm dating with. Thank you, Sam Reyes! You're the best lil sis anyone can have.
Sorry for the grammatical errors and whatevers, because I am too lazy to edit this, and this is probably my most successful (succesful because IT'S FINISHED) one-shot that I've ever written here in Wattpad.
Frankly, I hope you have read or watched 'The Fault in Our Stars' to get some of the things that I've written. Well, I'm hoping that most of you have mostly read it.
And if you have a copy of it, and you have read this one-shot I made, may I suggest that you read Chapter 20, before reading this? I think it would be so much better to understand what happened?
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS ! :D
Sincerely,
CinnaMon
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Little Infinity (The Fault in Our Stars Fan-Fiction)
FanfictionA one-shot fan-fiction, from the Time Magazine's #1 Fiction Book of the year 2014!