Page 61 of We Drank the Dawn

And I named it Sarah’s Live List.

NINETEEN

Sarah

“Guess what?” I bumped against my boyfriend’s shoulder at school the next day. “I wrote that list.”

“Did you?” Peter looked down at me, a brow arching with interest.

“Yep.”

“Did you bring it to school?”

Frowning, I thought for a moment. “Yeah, actually, I think I may have tucked it in my binder.” I shook my head at myself. What a risky, silly thing to do. I needed to go home, lock it in a safe, and throw away the key. Its discovery risked total annihilation of my pride.

“Can I see it?”

Instantly, I blushed and tried to play off my horror with a playful scoff. “No!”

“Aw. Why not?” His eyes shimmered with teasing.

“Beacuse some of the stuff on there is…personal.”

“Makes sense. I just thought it would be fun to help you check some of the stuff off.” He laughed, shaking his head at himself. “Obviously, I can’t take you to Paris, but if it was something local…” He shrugged.

My brain frantically backpedaled. I would die a thousand deaths before I handed Peter the list I wrote, but the idea of completing bucket list items with my brand new boyfriend sent tingles rushing through my veins. I would have to be clinically insane not to capitalize on an offer like that.

Before I could stop myself, I blurted, “Oh, in that case, you can totally see it.”

His eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Sure.”

“At lunch?”

“Sure.” Panic wound through my chest. What was I saying? The list I had would go with me to the grave, but maybe I could write another one…

Before we could discuss it further, the bell rang and we dashed to our separate classes. But, instead of tuning in for a bland discussion of the book Othello, I flipped to a fresh page in my notebook and frantically formatted lines. Then my brain went crazy, shooting ideas from the hip faster than my poor cramping hand could write them down.

I stood at his front door, nervously smoothing down the front of my cornflower blue homecoming dress. My palms felt hot and my skin clammy, even as the chill autumn air sent leaves tumbling across the Thompson’s driveway.

The door opened and Lynn squealed in delight at the sight of me. “Oh, Sarah! You look beautiful, darling. Come in.”

Giggling, I stepped inside their foyer and let her draw me into a hug. Pushing away, her face melted with concern as she cupped my cheeks. “I’m sorry about tonight. Peter is so sad.”

I shook my head. “I promise it’s okay. I’d rather be here with him than anywhere else.”

“He’s so blessed to have you.” She swiped a little clear box off the foyer table and handed it to me. “There’s his boutonniere. Go on back to the game room. I’ll be there in a few minutes to take some pictures.”

I gazed down at the tiny white rose boutonniere in my hands. Sweet Lynn had made the entire homecoming thing possible for me. When I tearfully told her my mom wouldn’t take me shopping for a dress, Lynn zoomed me off to Starbucks for caramel lattes then took me to the mall, pulling the necessary strings to make sure I got something beautiful at the last minute.

As I made my way down their long hallway, soft music reached my ears, curling a smile into my cheeks. I pushed the game room door open to find dim lighting, candles, and a little table full of finger foods.

Peter jumped to his feet and braced a hand on the wall. His eyes immediately followed the flow of my dress, starting at the top and traveling down to my feet. When his eyes found mine again, his voice came out breathless. “Sarah, you look perfect.”

I smiled, noting his white shirt, black coat, blue tie, and slacks. “So do you.”

He crossed the room, stopping right in front of me. His skin was pale and dark circles encased his eyes, making him look so tired. Just when we thought he’d kicked them, the fevers came back with a vengeance, bringing fatigue and body aches. No one else in his family had gotten sick, despite Peter struggling over the last couple weeks, so Lynn assumed he wasn’t contagious and just had an infection somewhere. He’d missed a few weeks of basketball practices and didn’t have the energy to stay out late for homecoming. In fact, he had missed most of the spirit week activities, too. Thank goodness, he was scheduled to see a doctor this coming Monday morning. Everyone was starting to worry.