by Hope, Amity
I couldn’t help laughing at all the qualifiers she’d included. They didn’t surprise me one bit. Kylie had always been a rule follower, but now it looked like she was setting out to reveal her rebellious side.
I didn’t know how, but I was determined to be the one to help her find it.
Chapter Three
Kylie
“You can head out,” Emily said. “I’ll finish closing up.”
I hung my apron on its usual hook in the break room. “Are you sure?”
Emily was a junior this year. Her family owned The Green Goddess, the small organic grocery store I worked at. If she was telling me to take off, I wasn’t going to argue too hard. Besides, all that was really left was to turn off the lights and lock the door.
“I’m sure.” She smiled as she waved me away. “Zoey’s picking me up, and she’s not here yet.”
After thanking her, I hoisted the straps of my reusable shopping bags onto my shoulder. A perk of working here was the employee discount. The downfall of working here was that I spent a big chunk of my paycheck trying to keep my personal cabinet in Mom’s kitchen stocked.
I shifted the bags as I stepped onto the sidewalk, then quickened my stride when I noticed someone—Leo, actually—was pacing next to my car. I glanced around, wondering if he was with someone. He didn’t appear to be. When he spotted me, he headed my way.
“Let me help with those.”
Before I could protest, he slid the bags off my shoulder.
“What do you have in here?” he asked, clearly not expecting them to weigh so much.
“A couple bags of sugar, a few bags of flour,” I explained. “Some other essentials.”
We moved toward my car and I glanced around again, still wondering if he was waiting for someone.
“You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here,” he said.
“Actually, yes.”
We reached my car. I popped the trunk so he could place my bags inside.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Anytime.”
I slammed the trunk and looked at him expectantly.
“Right. I hope this doesn’t seem too stalker-ish, but I’m wondering if you have a minute.”
Leo showing up outside of my work…not stalker-ish. But definitely unexpected.
“Sure,” I said with undeniable curiosity. “What’s up?”
“I have something that belongs to you. I was going to give it back to you earlier today, but you were never alone, and I didn’t want to draw attention to it.” His gaze bounced across the street.
Emily offered up a wave—which we both returned—before she hopped into Zoey’s car.
“Something of mine?” I echoed. There was only one thing I’d recently misplaced, but there was no way Leo could’ve found it. And if by some craziness he had, he’d never know it was mine.
Or maybe he would.
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a familiar pink page. He gave me an apologetic look as he handed it to me.
“You dropped this,” he said. “Yesterday, when you gave me the fudge.”
My hand floated up to the list, as if in slow motion. Instead of saying anything, I whimpered, too embarrassed for words. “Please tell me you didn’t read this,” I begged once I found my voice.
He winced, looking like he wasn’t willing to lie, and stayed silent.
I groaned as I stuffed the list into my purse. This time I shoved it to the bottom.
“How did you know it was mine?” I asked.
“I found it after you walked away. I remembered seeing a pink sheet of paper hanging out of your notebook at lunch,” he said. “I figured it had to be yours.”
“This is so embarrassing.” I shuffled my feet and fidgeted with a lock of my hair as I stared at the water fountain across the street.
“Hey, I won’t say a word,” he assured me. “I heard you tell Meg you got off work at eight. That’s why I’m here, handing it to you in private, instead of giving it to you in a crowded hallway.”
I dared a glance at him. He didn’t look amused by my list. I believed him when he said he wouldn’t tell anyone.
“Thank you. It was really sweet of you to bring it to me,” I said sincerely. If he’d given it to me in front of my friends, they’d have wanted to see it for sure. Having Leo read it was bad enough; I didn’t want it passed around. I cringed at the thought, grateful that he had saved me from possible humiliation.
“Sure. I thought you might want it back,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if it was important.”
He looked at me expectantly, waiting for an answer.
“It’s not important. I mean, maybe it is. Or not. It’s complicated,” I decided, because I couldn’t think of a better way to explain it.
“Sort of skinny-dipping does sound complicated,” he agreed.
I narrowed my eyes at him, assuming he was mocking me. I couldn’t tell by the innocent expression he wore.
“I mean,” he said, his lips quirking up a bit, “how do you sort of skinny-dip?”
I groaned. I had never intended for anyone to see this list.
“Right,” he said as he took a step back, his tone becoming serious and his amusement fading as if he thought he’d crossed a line, “that’s none of my business.”
I dropped backward, leaned against my car, and forced a laugh. “It’s a dumb list.”
He raised his eyebrows at me. “Why did you write it, then?”
I felt an overwhelming urge to explain. Unsure of how to do that without digging myself deeper, I simply started talking.
“I let Allie get to me,” I admitted. “You heard her at Common Grounds. She was worse when we got home. She gave me a hard time for not dating, among other things, and made it pretty clear that while she looks up to our older sister, Lexie, she finds my life pretty pathetic.”
“That sounds harsh,” Leo said with a frown.
“She was harsh,” I agreed. “But she was also kind of right. My life is pretty boring. Especially now that Francesca and Meg both have boyfriends. Since Nate goes to school out of town, when he’s here on the weekends, Francesca understandably spends every second with him. Meg and Luke, well, you know how they are. They’re together just as often. And me? I haven’t been doing much of anything.”
Before Meg started dating Luke, the two of us would occasionally join Nate and Francesca, or sometimes just Meg and I would hang out. She used to avoid her house, if she could help it, so we’d spend weekends at mine having Netflix marathons. But now that they were both in serious relationships, it was absolutely no fun at all being the tagalong to their double dates.
“The list is your way of trying to change that.” He nodded as if my admission made perfect sense to him. “You’re not planning on tackling this list with just anyone, are you?”
His tone held a trace of something I couldn’t quite decipher. He wasn’t scolding me. At least, I didn’t think he was. But I could tell he definitely didn’t approve.
“No. Honestly, I’m not planning on tackling the list at all. Like I said, it was a stupid idea.” I wanted to laugh the whole thing off. Actually, what I really wanted was to hop in my car, drive away, and cast a spell that would make Leo forget he’d ever seen the paper at all.
The stubborn boy didn’t seem to be willing to forget anytime soon.
He cleared his throat. “Maybe I could help you with it.”
Even in the dim glow of the streetlight I could see his cheeks turn red.
“I mean, parts of the list. Obviously.” He laughed but it sounded choked. “I mean, of course you wouldn’t want me to help you with all of it.”
“Um…” Now my own cheeks started to flame because I was unexpectedly hit with a vision of Leo skinny-dipping. I winced, embarrassed all over again. Why had I included that? Why hadn’t I listed something that was truly adventurous? Last fall Meg and Luke had climbed our town’s water tower. That’s what I should’ve written…or something equally as daring. Not�
��skinny-dipping.
As if that weren’t bad enough, I’d listed it in the number one spot, likely making it appear most important. Honestly, when I thought of something that would be completely out of character for me, it had been the first thing to come to mind.
Leo didn’t seem to be aware of my inner turmoil. Or if he was, he was sweet enough to ignore it.
“What are you planning on doing when you sneak out?” After a moment’s hesitation, he frowned. “Will you meet someone?”
“First of all, I told you, the list is silly. I don’t plan on following through.” An uncomfortable laugh slipped out. “Second, if I did sneak out, I have no idea what I’d do. I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.” At this point, if I actually did it, I’d probably end up sitting on the patio in my own backyard, all alone. And really, what would be the point of that?
“I think you should do it.” His tone was firm without being pushy.
A few silent beats stretched out between us as I thought it over. A little tingle of excitement skittered through me. Was this totally crazy? A little bit terrifying? Oh, definitely. It would be so much easier to shake my head and walk away. I thought of my sister. I thought of the list. I thought of all the fun I could have if I let myself.
And I thought of all the regrets I might face if I didn’t accept his offer.
I sucked in a breath and said, “You might be right. And I could use some help.” Was I insane for agreeing? My heart tap danced, excited at the thought of doing something adventurous. “I just don’t understand why you would want to do this.”
“What can I say? Both of my best friends are in serious relationships, too. Adam and Julia spend as much time together as Luke and Meg. You’re not the only one who’s been kind of bored lately.” He flashed that charming grin. “It’s senior year. We should both be having some fun. And your list seems like a good way to make that happen.”
“Really?” I studied his face, not sure if he was being sympathetic or if he was genuinely interested.
“Really.” His grin turned a hint mischievous. “You have a lot of empty spaces on that list. I assume that means you plan on adding to it somewhere along the way.” I nodded. “Think of the fun we could have with that.”
He was right. Everything was more fun when you were doing it with a friend.
“You have ideas to add?”
“Maybe. A few things have come to mind.” That smile of his didn’t fade. “This could be a lot of fun for both of us. Two friends, hanging out, making the most of senior year.”
I nodded slowly because, when he put it that way, it kind of made sense. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.” His smile morphed into an all-out, ear to ear grin.
I laughed at his enthusiasm. “Okay then.”
“Okay then,” he echoed. He started backing away. “I better let you get home. But we’ll start tackling the list soon.”
I waved as I watched him walk away. For just a moment I stood frozen, wondering what I’d agreed to. Then my heart skipped, a smile slid onto my face, and I realized this was the most daring thing I’d ever gotten myself into.
…
I flung my bedroom door open, looking forward to some quiet reading time. Just because I wrote my list didn’t mean I was about to give up my beloved fantasy novels. But I skidded to a halt when I spotted Allie sprawled out on my bed.
“What are you doing in here?” I said. “We’ve waited our whole lives to have our own bedrooms. Don’t tell me you miss me already.”
We’d been a family of six in a three-bedroom house. Growing up, our older sisters, Maddie and Lexie, had also shared a room. When Maddie moved away, Lexie had the luxury of having that bedroom to herself. Now that Lexie was gone, Allie had moved into their old room.
I’d had my own space for almost a year, and still, after sharing for most of my life, having it to myself felt like a novelty. Allie’s intrusion was not appreciated.
“I came in here to apologize for last night.” She managed to look appropriately contrite as she hopped off my bed, clutching a fashion magazine to her chest. “I shouldn’t have said your life was boring.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “No. You shouldn’t have.”
“That was mean of me.”
I nodded.
“So, I’m sorry.”
“You should be,” I said, though my tone had no bite.
I knew my sister well enough to understand she truly felt bad. Allie had a short fuse. But I knew it wasn’t in her to intentionally hurt anybody. Not even me.
Still.
“You were really a brat,” I noted.
“I know.”
“But I forgive you,” I said.
“Really?”
I nodded. “Really.”
She tilted her head to the side. “I wasn’t trying to be mean. I only want you to have some fun. You’re going to be graduating soon. You haven’t gone to one school dance, or a football game, or any other fun school activity. If you don’t do something about this soon, you might look back and regret it. You’ve never even gone on a date, but I’m sure you could totally get any guy you want.” I felt her studying me. “You’re cute enough.”
I scoffed. Yeah, I was cute all right. If you didn’t mind a bit of pudge and hair that couldn’t decide if it wanted to be straight or curly. And I was the only one who had inherited Mom’s dusting of freckles. Worst of all, I’d been cursed with a pair of dimples. Dimples were adorable on guys. On me? Not so much. They only accentuated my chubby cheeks.
I grudgingly assessed my sister. She was already taller than me. Her hair was the same shade of honey, but she’d been blessed with bouncy curls that rarely misbehaved. Her skin was creamy, freckle-free, and though our eyes were the same shade of green, somehow her thick lashes made hers seem brighter.
Allie must have mistaken my silent assessment as a silent admonition.
“What?” she demanded. “You are cute. You have the sort of curves most guys fantasize over.”
“That’s why they’re lining up to date me.” My tone dripped with sarcasm. What she called curvy I translated to chunky, another trait that had trickled down from Mom’s side of the family. It was such a cruel irony. Spending time in the kitchen was my favorite hobby, but sometimes I felt as if I gained weight simply by looking at my ingredient list.
“It’s high school. Most boys are stupid,” Allie said in her worldly way. “I mean, if they’re not lining up to date you, they should be,” she declared in a rare moment of sisterly love.
“Thanks.” She nodded and I continued, “The thing is, you’re right about me wasting my senior year.”
A smug smile flickered across her lips, but she immediately whisked it away. “What are you going to do about it?”
I let my own smug smile slip into place.
“What?” she demanded, studying me with curiosity. “What are you going to do?”
“Who says I’m going to do anything?” I asked in a tone that said I definitely had a plan.
“Kylie. Why won’t you tell me?”
“Maybe,” I said as I motioned toward my open door, “I would’ve. If you would’ve been a little nicer to me.”
“I apologized,” she reminded me. When I still didn’t indulge her, she sighed and crossed my room. “Fine. But I bet you can’t keep whatever it is a secret for long.”
When she sashayed out, I closed the door behind her.
In the silence of my bedroom, I took out the list again. It wasn’t what was written on it that had my attention.
It was the numbers I’d left blank. The numbers Leo had offered to help me fill.
There was so much possibility. I couldn’t wait to see where this adventure was going to take me.
Chapter Four
Leo
I walked into the kitchen and immediately pivoted, hoping to make a hasty exit. The screech of my soles against the tile didn’t allow it.
“Leo, good morning,” Mom greeted, so
unding more than a little disappointed to see me. “We thought you were still in bed.”
Fortunately, she stepped away from Dad, so I decided it was safe to enter. I twisted back around and headed to the cupboard. Though I stared straight ahead, I was still aware of Mom readjusting her skirt and Dad straightening his tie.
I eyed the table with suspicion. I couldn’t help but wonder if my parents had been heading that way. I wasn’t sure I wanted to eat there, thinking of the multipurpose surface.
“What would you like for breakfast?” she asked. “I could make pancakes, waffles, or—”
“Eggs,” Dad decided. “Eggs would be good. Baseball season is almost here; he should start staying away from processed food. It’s never too early to begin conditioning, and that includes a decent diet.”
“I’m not hungry. I’m good with this.” I wiggled a granola bar their way. The sight of my parents groping each other always made me lose my appetite.
In theory, the fact that Mom and Dad were so in love should be great. In reality, it made for a lot of uncomfortable entrances. Walking in on them in a semi-compromising position happened way more often that I thought was reasonable.
Once in a lifetime would be bad enough.
Once a week bordered on disturbing.
Any more than that, and it left me feeling like I wanted to gouge my eyes out.
“That’s not a breakfast,” Dad said. “Sit down.”
I did as ordered because his words weren’t a suggestion.
“What are you doing up so early?” Mom asked as she pulled a carton of eggs from the fridge.
Inspiration had struck and I hadn’t been able to sleep. “I was working on something in my shop.”
The admission earned a matching set of frowns. Neither of my parents were thrilled about my hobby.
“I noticed you smuggled another load of rubbish into the garage.” Her left eye twitched as she cracked an egg. “I feel as if you belong on an episode of that awful hoarders show.”
“Gee, Mom, thanks.” I let the sarcasm ooze.
“You must be the only child in this county—possibly the state—who frequents the junkyard. It’s appalling,” she said as she reached for another egg.