The-Lucky-List-Rachael-Lippincott

e story had gone viral aer a local news company tweeted a picture of one squirrel stuck in a pair of
polka-dot underwear. “My entire group got along. We went on, like, a million cool hikes, which you
know is my favorite part. And, hanging out at Todd’s house was so amazing, Em. He’s amazing.”
I roll over to see a dreamy look plastered on her face.
“It was just like camp, but with Wi-Fi, and pizza, and a roof that doesn’t leak. Good people, fun
times, no drama, you know?”
No drama. I feel a small jab at that.
“Plus, he only lives forty-five minutes away, so it shouldn’t be too hard to see each other this year. I
think the group will really like him. And, we both want to go to Colorado State next year, so it’ll
definitely be easier then.”
Wait, what?
“Colorado State?” I ask, surprised, reaching up to push my hair behind my ear. “I didn’t know you
wanted to go there.”
Since when? It’s so far away, it makes my chest hurt already.
“Yeah, there’s a ton of hiking around there, and—” She freezes, her eyes locked on my arm. “Holy
shit. Is that a tattoo?”
“Yeah, I… got it a few days ago. With Blake,” I say as she sits bolt upright, reaching out to grab my
arm.
“You got a tattoo with Blake?”
“Well, not with Blake. I mean, she was there, but she didn’t…” I can see the glint of jealousy in her
eyes, so I continue quickly.
“Anyway, I did it because of this.” I pull my arm out of her grasp, reaching into my pocket to pull
out the folded list. I hand it to her and she carefully unfolds it, her eyes widening when she sees what it
is. “I found it in a box of my mom’s high school stu. I’ve been trying to get it done before the end of
the Huckabee Lake trip.”
I reach out, pointing at all the dierent colored check marks, the new red ones from my trip to the
beach, and sleeping under the stars, and getting a tattoo.
“is is so cool,” she whispers, her eyes getting a little teary, and I know she gets it. “You’ve been
doing them? Just like she did?”
“Yeah,” I say, nodding. “And it’s so crazy, Kiera. I feel like I’m myself again, you know? I feel like she’s
been guiding me this whole summer, back to who I was. Who I should be.”
“What do you have left to do?” she asks, her thumb moving down the page.
“Just two more and then I’m done,” I say, watching as she stops at “7. Go on the Huckabee Lake
trip” and “11. Find a four-leaf clover,” and…
She completely unfolds the paper, revealing the hidden number twelve. “Kiss J. C.,” the one I’ve been
intentionally ignoring all summer.
I don’t know what to think about this one now.
I can’t help but have Blake’s face pop into my head.
“No way,” she says, turning it around to face me.
I know in a nanosecond Matt’s popped into hers.
“Oh, well, the initials don’t even match his.…”