Song~ Adventures of a Lifetime by Coldplay

***

"Okay repeat that one more time, but slower."

I roll my eyes but oblige. "I never learned how to drive."

Mason stares at me incredulously. "I can't believe it."

"What's so unbelievable about that? I just turned 17 and even some adults don't know how to drive. There was never a need for me to know how," I explain defensively.

Mason shifts in the driver seat of his truck. For the last 10 minutes, we've been debating what to do today since we never created a concrete plan. Somehow the topic shifted to him being tired and not in the mood to drive and voila. Here we are discussing my inability to operate automobiles.

Mason shakes his head. "Well I guess today I will teach you how to drive."

I shake my head furiously. I'm surprised I didn't just get whiplash. "Are you crazy? I don't know what half of those sticks do!"

"That's why I'm going to teach you. It will be fun," he says trying to coax me into agreeing.

"No! That's a crazy plan! I'll probably crash your car," I state while crossing my arms.

"What's the point of living if you don't take some risks? If you crash my car that will only make a cool story to tell people one day," he says wiggling his eyebrows enticingly.

I let out a huff of annoyance. "Fine! Let's get this over with."

"I knew I could appeal to your better nature."

"I knew I could get you to shut up if I agreed."

"Touché." He smirks.

***

We pull into an empty parking lot near the edge of town. It once belonged to a factory, but the building was long torn down and the lot was left here among the bushes and weeds. Mason parks the car and allows us to switch places. I sit uncomfortably in the driver's seat. Despite it's comfortable seat, I'm terrified to drive. I grasp the steering wheel tightly until my knuckles turn white.

"Step one: Check your mirrors," Mason instructs.

I adjust it so I can see clearly behind me.

"Step two: Move the PRNDL stick so it's in drive."

I let out an unlady like snort. "PRNDL stick?"

"Yea, have you ever seen the episode of the Suite Life of Zach and Cody where London learns to drive?"

"Nope. My younger sisters controlled the TV. I typically read, even as a child and what I do watch is on Netflix."

"You're missing out on a lot of good kid shows." He waves his hands dismissively. "Okay enough distractions! Keep that up and you probably will crash. You don't want to fail now do you?"

"Not particularly, no. One time I entered a spelling bee and misspelled the word failure thus losing the competition. That put a whole new meaning to that word." I laugh. "That's from the Office, by the way. Dwight Schrute said that in one of the episodes."

"I love that show. Steve Carell is hilarious," Mason comments with a grin.

"Me too!"

"Okay, anyways, put your feet on the pedals and slowly ease forward on the gas-that's the right one. That's it," he encourages.

I step on the gas and the car lurches forward earning a yelp from me. The car speeds forward and I rotate the steering wheel, sending the car flying to the right.

"Hit the brakes! Hit the brakes!" Mason yells while trying to grasp the steering wheel.

I lift my right foot up and slam my left foot down. My body jerks forward and harshly falls back into the seat. My hair covers my eyes.

Through my hair, I cast a glare at Mason who is laughing hysterically. "This isn't funny. I could have killed us both."

"But you didn't. We're still alive. Come on go again."

I grunt and ease forward on the gas again, but this time with a lighter press. The car slowly moves forward. My eyes light up and I look at Mason. "I'm doing it. I'm actually doing it!"

Mason grins and nods with approval.

With a sudden surge of confidence, I apply more pressure to the pedal and gain momentum. I drive straight ahead and quickly make a sharp left turn as I run out of pavement. I smile giddily as I start to do laps around the parking lot. While I laugh like the Joker from Batman, Mason is clutching onto the armrests with a panicked expression.

I cast him a sideways glance. "Aw is little Mason scared? Come on it's fun." I say mimicking his earlier words.

Mason directs his gaze away from the road and onto my face. He shakes his head furiously. "Now I understand why you didn't drive to begin with. This isn't need for speed. Slow down."

I do one final lap before attempting (horribly if I might add to park within the lines of a parking space. Finally, I give up and park randomly, hogging up multiple spaces with his truck.

"That was a lot of fun. Thanks for letting me drive," I say gratefully. The color has returned to Mason's face. With a breath of relief, he nods.

"Switch places with me. I have something I want to show you," is all he says as we switch positions. He drives out of the parking lot and up a long winding road. The empty street is lined with tall towering trees that are various shades of greens. The ground is decorated with various flowers that range in shades of whites, blues, and purples. From beyond the trees I can see glimpses of the city due to there being a sudden drop off.

"Where are you taking me? You're not going to kill me are you?"

"No, that's my plan for Friday night."

"Mason-"

"I don't think this helps, but in my defense it's only murder if they find a body. Until then it's just a missing person."

I roll my eyes. I turn my face towards the window so he doesn't see the smile on my face.

"Relax, I just want to show you something."

I stare at the scenery around me in awe. We pull onto a short dirt path that leads to an open field. He parks the car and hops out. He walks over to my passenger side. Opening the door, he takes my hand to guide me to the hood of the car. I hop on and look at the jaw-dropping view before me.

Our town is nestled in a corner. The buildings that vary in browns and whites stand proudly among the trees around it. If I straighten my back I can catch glimpses at the sparkling ocean behind it.

"This is-"

"Beautiful? I know," Mason finishes for me.

"How did you find this place?"

"I don't really remember," he says while sitting beside me. "I was upset at the time. I needed some time to cool down and ended up taking a long drive. After a lot of twists and turns, I stumbled across this field. Now I come here when I want to clear my head or just want a breath of fresh air."

I look at him curiously. "What happened? What made you so upset?" I quickly add, "If you don't mind me asking."

He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. "There's a lot to tell. I wouldn't want to burden you. You already have a lot on your plate."

"I can handle it. Tell me, please."

He sighs and looks at the landscape. "My mom was diagnosed with brain cancer 2 years ago. By the time the doctors had detected it, the tumors had grown and spread. They estimated she had a matter of weeks to live. She couldn't function properly. She just shut down. She wouldn't eat, talk, or move. I watched helplessly as the disease consumed her."

I take his hand sympathetically into mine. His eyes drift towards mine.

Mason chokes on a sob before continuing. "At 1am on June 18th my mom died. I spent the day by her bed with her hand in mine. Her gaze was fixed on mine. She forced the words out of her mouth and, Vivian, I will tell you this; watching her struggle to form a coherent sentence was heartbreaking to watch. It was in broken English, but I still managed to get the gist of it. She told me she loved me and my younger sister and that she was sorry. She told me that her biggest regret was that she spent her last few days alone rather than being with us her family."

I pull Mason into an embrace. My heart aches at his words.

"That's why I wanted to help you. I know death. I saw the regret in her eyes as she took her final breathes. I'm sorry that I got all defensive on you when I first met you and pressured you into this. I don't want anyone to experience what she did. My mom is the reason why I work at the hospital. The staff knew me fairly well and I wanted to make a difference."

I rub a soothing hand on his back. "I know. I'm sorry, Mason. No one should have to go through that. It must have been awful."

"It was. I don't want others to feel as shitty as my mom did. When I found out you weren't going to do anything I knew it was like a sign telling me to help you."

I lean back and smile sadly at him. "Thank you. Your mom will be proud."

A ghost of a smile forms on my lips. "I didn't meant to dump all of that on you."

"It's okay. I wanted to hear it. I'm glad you did."

"Yea, so am I."

***

After that, despite Mason's terrible confession, we had a normal lighthearted conversation. We got to know each other more. It got late, so he dropped me off at home and drove away after a quick exchange of farewells.

I slump onto my bed and cross my legs. I was just about to grab my book when a loud trill sounds throughout the room. My phone is vibrating angrily on my nightstand. I accept the call not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Howdy. You've reached the Horny Tiger strip club. You've got the dough, we've got the ho. This is Chastity speaking."

"Hey, Chastity. This is money slut and I need your help." I recognize Kat's voice on the other end of the line.

"Money slut?" I question between giggles.

"Yep. I feel like it represents my hopes as a stripper. Anyways, I need your help on an essay. We have to pick a side on a topic and argue it. I can't decide."

I flop back onto my bed. "What's the topic?"

"Are we, as humans, capable of being altruistic?"

I scrunch my face up in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"Are humans able to do something without getting something in return."

I pause for a moment before answering. "No, I don't think humans are."

"Okay. Why not?"

"Humans are selfish. It's our nature. We cannot simply do something and expect something in return. Even charity work gets a benefit. They get the satisfaction of knowing they did something good which is a reward itself. They get something good out of it. I think personally people are not able to do something just for the sake of doing it."

"Thank you so much! Alright night," she says before ending the call.

Feeling the effects of today's escapade, I slip between the covers and slowly fall asleep to the hum of the cicadas.

The reality of my realization sets in. Nothing we do is simply for kindness. There's always some personal benefit.

When I tried to distance myself I wasn't just thinking about them. I was thinking of myself and trying to spare myself from the guilt of bringing the sorrow with my death.

My mind drifts to the bucket list and to Mason. He isn't just helping me because I'm dying and deserve a chance to experience all the joys life has to offer. No, in some way Mason was benefiting this arrangement. Whether it be from the satisfaction of helping someone or the fact he'll make his mom proud, I'm not sure.

But I do know one thing. Mason Barnett needs this bucket list just as much as I do. In some way, we rely on each other.

***

   HEY GUYS! How are you guys liking the book so far? I'd love to have some feedback. Are the chapters too long? Anyways, thanks to everyone reading! Thank you for all the votes and comments 😄 they mean a lot to me! Love y'all!

~Mar