Fifty-Two

For over a year, I collected items on a list in my head. I had eighty-six when Kimmy finally tossed out the idea to just start going for them. She wrote all the numbers down and put them in a bowl. She promised to help me out as much as possible, but made me promise to try each and every one of the numbers I pulled out.

I had the option to lie about what the number meant, giving myself an easy out of something potentially stupid or embarrassing, but she was my best friend, the one person who stayed with me every day since I became sick. I didn’t want to let her down, and if she ever found out I had lied, she would be upset.

We sat in my room, the bowl between us as we hummed lightly to a song on the radio. Neither of us had an idea what to say, so we just sat there. Kimmy was shifting every few seconds, her eyes moved from me to the bowl and I knew she wanted me to grab a number.

“Do I really have to? I can’t just wait until it happens by itself?” I bit my lip and sighed loudly.

Kimmy twirled the pink ends of her hair and shook her head. “Your life is in your hands. If you died tomorrow, you would have never done anything you really wanted to.”

“Yeah, but what if I die doing something I’ve listed?”

“At least you tried.” She smiled at me, shoving the bowl in my direction. “Pick a number, you know you want to.” She shook the bowl in my face.

I wanted to argue more, give myself more time to figure out a way out of this, but something in me willed my hand to the bowl.

My fingers ran over several pieces of paper, all seeming too scary to pick, but as my finger ran over one, there was a tingle in my hand and I gripped it before I could lose it. I was a full on believer in fate and signs. So I crunched the paper in my hand and pulled it out.

Kimmy was impatient and grabbed it, opening the piece of paper quickly. “Fifty-two.” She smiled, excitement consuming her. I felt a pit in my stomach, already dreading the pick. “What are we doing first?”

“Really, Kim, this is stupid.” I took the bowl and went to dump it in my garbage, but she was behind me, stealing it back and glaring. “I don’t—“ A small palm came close to my face as Kim silently instructed me to stop. “Kiss a stranger.”

Kimmy didn’t speak for a moment, I didn’t know if she was also debating the sanity of my list or plotting a way to make it happen, but I was really nervous when she walked out of the room, the bowl still in her arms. “Well, let’s go.” She went for her keys and I my big hat. California sun would kill me quicker than cancer ever would. “You live in the perfect place for a bucket list. LA is one of the craziest towns.”

She hopped in her car and waited for me. I didn’t really want to do it. What was she going to do, drop me off on the corner and hope there was someone who wouldn’t sue me for invasion of lips? And that was pretty much the plan. She pulled into a parking spot and started pointing out attractive people. “I swear, if Ryan Reynolds shows up, you are kissing him.”

“Kim, he’s married, not a stranger and in the desert filming a new movie.” I sat back in the seat and looked out, “Can we please just go back to my house and watch Rise of the Guardians again?”

“You’re love of Jack Frost won’t help your bucket list. It won’t let you live before you don’t have the chance. Now stop.” She gave me the glare I hated so much. “Now get out and kiss one of the five boys standing over there.”

I followed her finger as she pointed to a group of guys sipping on their Starbucks. I looked back at Kimmy, but she wouldn’t budge and I knew it.

I opened the car door and started for the group. I had five guys to choose from, and five guys to yell at me and judge me. Five guys to reject me. As I moved closer, they turned to me. All of them were so beautiful. They whispered to each other as I let my eyes scan over each and every one of them. I stopped in front of them, debating. “Hello?” One asked, and I took that as my sign to go.

I stepped up closer to the dark haired blue eyes boy and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Hi.” I said, before planting my lips on his.

As expected, he pulled back. “Who are you?” He asked, a slight smile playing on his lips, the words coming out paired with a British accent.

I moved back and cleared my throat. “Lydia.”

“Lydia, I’m Louis.” And he instantly stopped being a stranger, but not before I was able to check fifty-two off. “Youtuber?” I shook my head. “So you just come up mouth-raping people on a daily basis?” I laughed.

“I’m working on my Bucketlist.” The others were quiet as I talked to Louis.

He looked at me silently before speaking, “I hope going on a date is on there, I’d love to help you check off another.”

“Sorry, unless the date includes something on the list, you won’t help much.”

“Is skydiving on there?”

“Totally, it’s number forty-four.” I rolled my eyes at the cliché wish and shook my head.

He smiled, “Well, what if I pick a number, can we do that?”

I bit my lip, nervous. The fact that a cute guy wanted to go on a date with me was enough to make me nervous, but there were also items on the list that would be a little extreme for a first date. “I dunno.”

“You should pick sixty-nine, mate.” I turned to the curly haired boy, my face probably turning pink. “I’m sorry, I was kidding.” He ran his hand through his hair and smiled.

Louis was watching me, he could have picked the number and it would have been what they expected. But he was kind enough to pick something else. “Will you please do forty-six with me?”

I laughed. “If you’re okay with breaking the law.”

“That’s really hot.” He laughed as well. “Let’s do it.”

“When?”

“I’m free tonight. Give me your address and I will pick you up at seven.” And I did, without a question or a second to think, I was giving him my address.