The biting cold wind, laden with damp mist, relentlessly battered their cheeks, as if their skin was on the brink of tearing. But Hazel didn't mind at all. She widened her eyes to their fullest, opened her mouth, and couldn't help but shout, "Faster, even faster!"
Paul was sprinting ahead, clearing the way; Renly was behind, pushing the wheelchair, keeping pace. By now, the three of them had left the hospital gates, stepping onto the street. The damp pavement bore a bluish-gray hue, and the scene looked desolate, not even the deep red brick walls retained their original color. Yet, the three of them were unbothered. They ran swiftly, carefree smiles carving their paths through the air above the street.
Hazel suddenly spread her arms wide, her face blossoming like a flower, "Ah!"
All their excitement, all their joy, all their happiness converged into a single cry, a joyful and uninhibited shout. The crisp air swept into their lungs, evaporating amidst their exhilarated breaths like a passing train, speeding recklessly forward, charging towards spring, towards hope, towards tomorrow.
After running a full block, they stopped beneath the traffic light at the intersection. Paul and Renly were slightly out of breath, even Hazel's breaths were shallow and eager. She glanced back to ensure no one was following, then the three of them exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
"Let's go. Follow this street and walk two blocks. There's a movie theater there." Among the three, Renly was the one familiar with every nook and cranny of Manhattan's streets. He willingly took on the role of guiding.
Hazel greedily soaked in the scenery before her. New York appeared desolate, dilapidated, and bleak in its winter state. The city seemed ensnared in chaos, yet for her, it was incredibly beautiful. Even the dirty snow piled up along the roadside captured her gaze.
The world felt new, and her emotions couldn't help but soar.
After a mere ten minutes of walking, they successfully arrived at the movie theater. Entering indoors made Hazel slightly disappointed. She had wanted to linger outside a bit longer, even just wandering through one more block would have sufficed. But the thought of finally watching a movie rekindled her spirits.
Before she fell ill, everything had been taken for granted. Watching a movie had been taken for granted, shopping had been taken for granted, going to school and reading had all been taken for granted. But now, even walking and breathing, the simplest of tasks, had become challenging. As they stepped back into the theater, Hazel felt a different sort of sentiment.
She curiously surveyed the theater's antiquated decor. Posters of the latest releases adorned the walls: "True Grit" and "No Strings Attached", among others. In a corner, there was even an art section displaying posters of films in limited release, like "Four Lions", "Howl", and "Animal Kingdom".
Then Hazel spotted the poster for "Buried", and excitement surged within her. She had waited so long for this movie. Could she finally watch it today?
In the distance, she saw Paul approaching with popcorn and cola. His flustered demeanor was so amusing that Hazel couldn't help but stretch her neck, scanning the area. Then she saw the movie ticket Paul held between his lips, and a satisfied expression spread across her face.
"Renly, are you sure I can go in?" Hazel suddenly remembered something and asked, her concern evident.
This was a perplexing matter for Renly, and he regarded Hazel with a puzzled look. Hazel explained, "I mean, "Buried" is rated R, right? Can I go in?" However, as soon as she said these words, regret flooded over her. What if Renly genuinely worried and refused to take her to the movie? What then?
Renly's expression turned somewhat odd.
The term "rated R" translates to "restricted/17+", suggesting it's suitable for viewers aged 17 and older. In other words, those under 17 need adult accompaniment to watch such movies. However, it's not a prohibition for those under 17 to watch, as that would be "NC-17".
In most cases, parents indeed do not allow their children to watch R-rated movies, as they often contain content unsuitable for kids. So, without adult supervision, theaters naturally wouldn't allow kids to watch R-rated films.
However, for today's movie outing, Renly not only sought Derek's approval but also secured permission to watch "Buried". After all, Hazel's situation was quite exceptional. R-rated movies were not a concern for Derek and Ellie; it was much different for Hazel.
All their actions a moment ago had been just a show. They had originally intended to boost Hazel's enthusiasm a bit, but Hazel had gone along so well that Renly and Paul had continued the charade. This turned the day's outing into something extraordinary.
Looking at Hazel's genuine expression of concern, Renly understood. Hazel was only sixteen this year.
Before falling ill, she had been allowed to watch R-rated movies when accompanied by adults. The allowed age for unaccompanied viewing of R-rated movies was thirteen to seventeen. So, for Hazel, there was no difference between R-rated and NC-17 movies; they were both films she couldn't watch.
After realizing this, Renly's mischievous thoughts resurfaced. He put on a serious face and shook his head at Hazel, "What should we do then? How about we switch to another movie? "The Chronicles of Narnia" or "Harry Potter"?"
"No!" Hazel firmly vetoed, suggesting an idea with urgency. "Or, I could lie. I could deceive the ticket checker. I'll say I'm seventeen. Besides, I'm sitting in a wheelchair. If he refuses, I'll accuse him of discriminating against disabled people!"
Paul, who had just managed to stand firmly, was thoroughly confused.
Renly blinked at Paul and then expressed concern on his face, "You don't really look seventeen. What if he asks for your ID? And what about your disability certificate?"
Paul stared at Renly in utter disbelief. In a regular movie theater like this, the ticket checker wouldn't be that stringent. It wasn't uncommon for kids aged twelve or thirteen to sneak into the theater to watch restricted adult movies. Renly's words made it sound like customs, not a movie theater.
However, Hazel didn't grasp the complexity of the situation and urgently inquired, "Then what should we do?"
With just a blink, Renly already had an idea. Since they were playing out a version of "Home Alone", why not take it all the way?
"In a while, Paul will distract the ticket checker's attention. Then I'll push you from behind and we'll sneak past him. After all, we've already bought tickets, so it's not really evading fare." As Renly looked at Paul's dumbfounded expression, a faint smile tugged at his lips. In his mind, he imagined the image of Paul clumsily lying, and it was genuinely amusing.
Hazel's gaze shifted back and forth between Renly and Paul, expressing her concern, "But Paul looks like an honest person, not very talkative. What if he gets found out? Shouldn't you go instead?"
The smile on Renly's lips froze for a moment; what did she mean? Wasn't he an honest person?
Paul seemed to catch the underlying meaning and couldn't help but burst into laughter. However, he worried about giving away the game, so he turned his head and stifled his laughter.
Hazel quickly realized the ambiguity in her words and couldn't help but find it amusing. She hastily clarified, "That's not what I meant. I meant you are more steady, you handle crisis situations more calmly, you'll surely succeed."
"Yeah, that's right," Paul, standing nearby, nodded solemnly in agreement.
Renly didn't say much, just cast Hazel a deep look, as if saying, "You keep blabbering, let's see who will believe you." Hazel knew she should continue explaining, but looking at Renly's teasing expression, she couldn't help but stifle a laugh.
Originally, Renly wanted to tease Paul a bit to make Hazel laugh. He hadn't expected to fall into his own trap. However, since they were in for a fun time today, he decided to cast aside restraints and enjoy the moment to the fullest.
Renly walked over to Paul and took the popcorn and cola from him. Paul's composure wasn't quite enough, and he couldn't hold back his smile, his lips lifting upwards. He then pretended to be earnest and concerned as he said, "Hazel and I can help you carry these..."
"No need. I want to carry these to divert the ticket checker's attention." Renly clutched everything in his arms—two buckets of popcorn, three sodas, and a cotton candy. He was completely packed, and his entire figure was stuffed to the brim. "Put the movie ticket in the back pocket of my pants."
Once everything was ready, Renly glanced at the two, saying, "You guys play it by ear." With that, he didn't hesitate any longer and walked confidently towards the ticket checkpoint.
Paul went around to the back of the wheelchair, gripping the handles. Both he and Hazel watched Renly's receding figure.
Midway through, they saw Renly's steps start to falter, and the popcorn in his arms bounced up and down. It seemed like things were about to fall out. Hazel couldn't help but cry out in surprise, but she quickly realized it was intentional. Even they believed Renly was truly facing difficulty, let alone others?
It was still early afternoon, a workday, and the theater wasn't crowded. Consequently, the ticket checker hastened over to assist. Seeing Renly's smile of gratitude, he turned around after a few words and peered at Renly's pant pocket.
Although both Paul and Hazel were very curious about the story's continuation, they knew this scene couldn't continue to unfold. So, Paul pushed Hazel's wheelchair, swiftly circumventing the ticket checker from behind. They could still faintly hear the conversation between the two:
"...I really appreciate it. My friends were late, and they dumped all the heavy work on me. I told them not to get popcorn, that they should buy it themselves, but they insisted..."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it."
Hazel couldn't hold back; she burst into suppressed laughter, nearly on the brink of making noise. Fortunately, she bit her lower lip tightly to avoid being caught, and then Paul pushed her wheelchair, sprinting all the way. They bypassed the ticket checkpoint, navigated the corridor, and soared with utter abandon.