Page 27 of With a Little Luck

Ari’s expression falls, but the look is brief.74

“Wow,” she says, picking up a record from the bin and setting it on a stack beside her. “That’s … wow.”

I wait while Ari flips through the rest of the bin. There’s a beat-heavy reggaeton song playing through the speakers—likely Ari’s choice, not my dad’s—but she’s not humming along to it like she usually is. Like she was when I first came in. I’m pretty sure I’m not imagining the strange vibe coming off of Ari, but I don’t know what to do. I feel like there should bemore. I want to press her for more of a reaction to my news. She knows that asking out a girl—asking outMaya—is a huge deal for me. I never would have had the confidence to do it if it wasn’t for this magic dice.

I wonder what Ari would say if I told her that part of the story. Would she believe me?

“Yeah, so,” I say, deflating, “the radio station is pulling out all the stops. Sending us a limo and everything. What am I supposed to wear? Should I get her flowers or something?”

Ari inhales a deep breath and looks over at me again. Her expression is tight at first, but then it softens. “Flowers are a nice idea. Do you know what her favorite flower is?”

I snort. “I don’t know what her favorite anything is. But you like daisies, right? I could get those.”

Ari holds my gaze, expressionless, for a long moment, before she returns to flipping through records. “Just try to be yourself, Jude. You don’t have to do anything special to impress her.”

“I beg to differ. I’ve been in love with her forsix years, and just being myself hasn’t exactly gotten me anywhere. This is my chance.”

“That’s what I’m saying. You’ve known each other since elementary school, but you haven’t reallyknowneach other. How many conversations have you had with her? If she could get to know you the way I do …” She stops herself, then gives a small smile. “You’ll be fine. Trust me.”

It will be impossible to relax, to just beme. But Ari’s words give me some small encouragement, anyway. “You make it sound easy.”

“It’s supposed to be.”75

I turn to the bins on the other side of the aisle. “Have you been through these yet?”

“Not yet.”

I start flipping through, searching for anything out of place. But I’ll admit, my mind is elsewhere, and I’m hardly paying attention.

After a few quiet minutes, Ari clears her throat. “I have news, too. Not nearly as exciting as yours, but … it’s something.”

“Yeah?” I glance over my shoulder. “Tell me.”

“The Condor Music Festival is coming up in a few weeks, and they host an annual songwriting competition.” She takes in a long breath, as if bracing herself. “This year, ten finalists will get to perform their songs at the festival, and … the grand prize winner will get five thousand dollarsandthree days at a recording studio to make an album.”

“What? Ari! That would be amazing. You’re entering, right?”

“I was thinking about it. That new song I started at open mic night? I’ve been working on it, and … I think it’s decent. I mean, it still needs work. The chances of winning—”

“Stop it. You sound like me,” I say, giving her a gentle shove. “You have to enter. What I heard of that song was incredible, and even if that one isn’t ready, you’ve got other great songs, too. Can you imagine if you won? To record a whole album? Something you could send to record labels and artists? That could launch your whole career.”

She crinkles her nose. “I probably won’t win.”

“That’s what I said about getting published in theDungeon, and yet …”

She beams. “You’re right. I need to be optimistic.” She lifts her face toward the ceiling, extending her arms upward like a cheerleader striking her final pose. “I’ve totally got this!” But then she just as quickly lowers her arms, cringing nervously. “Unless I don’t.”

I shake my head at her. “If the festival is only a few weeks away, the deadline to enter is probably coming up soon, isn’t it?”

“That’s the thing. Entries need to be submitted by midnight this Sunday. And I can’t just send an audio file. They want a link to a video,76something posted online, so they can share it on their socials.” She shrugs. “Part of their publicity campaign, I guess.”

“That doesn’t give us much time.”

Ari’s eyes meet mine. “Us?”

“You need a cameraman, don’t you? And Pru already told me she’s vying for your manager position, so you know she’ll want to help.”

“I’m sure she’s busy at the center. And you’ve got your big date now …”

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