The-Lucky-List-Rachael-Lippincott

shi in the quantity and tone of our texts since I went over to Kiera’s yesterday. “It’s nice to finally
meet you.”
“Yeah! Hey. Nice to meet you,” Kiera says, giving her a once-over. “Blake, right? Our parents went to
high school together.”
“Seems like that’s the case for just about everyone around here,” Blake says, and Kiera laughs,
nodding in agreement.
“Tell me about it.”
Mr. Sanders pokes my shoulder with the pen he’s using to sign students in with. “Clark. Biset. On
the bus if I’ve already checked you off.”
Kiera rolls her eyes at me when he looks away, shooting him an if-looks-could-kill glare. Mr. Sanders
is her sworn enemy. He gave her a B– on an essay last year, and she still isn’t over it.
“See you on there,” Kiera says, grabbing my arm and tuing me toward the bus. I hesitate for a
fraction of a second, opening my mouth to say something.
Does she want to sit with us? Will she come sit with us?
“See you,” Blake says, her eyes moving from Kiera’s to mine before she looks away. I stumble aer
Kiera into the small line.
“Oh my God, Em. You didn’t say she looked like that,” Kiera hisses at me while we squeeze inside.
I glance behind me to see Blake stooping to stu her bag into the under-bus compartment. “Blake? I
mean, I guess.…”
We slide into two seats halfway down the bus, Kiera beating me out for the window despite an
elbow I throw to try to squeeze past her. “You guess,” Kiera says aer she plops down, eyeing the front
of the bus as Blake steps on, trailed by Jake. I watch as Blake laughs at something Jake says, but I’m
distracted when a head appears behind them.… Matt. “You better hope Matt isn’t as googly-eyed as Jake.
I mean, Jesus, Jake. Get a grip.”
And of course the second I start thinking about Blake again, Matt looks up, his eyes meeting mine
and widening in surprise. e last place I would’ve been at the end of school last year was on a bus
about to go on the Huckabee Lake trip.
But I’m different now. I need to show him I’m different now, so we can be different this time.
In my peripherals, I see Blake glance back to see what I’m looking at, and her smile fades ever so
slightly.
“Emily?” Jake’s voice rings out, perfectly encapsulating Matt’s incredulousness. I see his head pop
past Blake, then Olivia’s and Ryan’s faces appear just behind him. “Didn’t think I’d see you on the lake
trip.”
I’m about to say something when Kiera jumps in, coming to my rescue as always. “Honestly
surprised you see anyone, Jake, with your head so far up Blake’s ass.”
Jake snorts, but his cheeks redden slightly as he moves past us toward the back of the bus. Bantering
with Jake is one of Kiera’s favorite pastimes.
Blake slides into the seat across the aisle from me while I reach out to lightly grab Matt’s arm. He
turns back to look at me, his dark eyebrows rising.
“Can we talk later?” I ask, keeping my voice low.
“Uh,” he says, hesitating. I hold my breath, but I can tell from his face that something is dierent.