Page 62 of Part of Forever
Tucker pulls me closer to him, even though I’m not shivering from the cold.
“We could make a bucket list,” I say suddenly, and I feel everything shift in the air.
“We don’t need to do that,” Grace says at the same time Nathan asks, “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
I feel Tucker’s eyes on me.
“Why not?” I ask. “It can be for all of us. Life is short. We should do the things we want to do before we die. Or maybe just before we all go our separate ways in the fall?”
Everyone is quiet, and the roar of the dark waves calms me. Even though I’m not dying, Nathan is looking at me like I might. Grace is still glaring.
I hoped that she would be excited for a bucket list. She tried to get me to make one a few summers ago, but I told her they were dumb. Why make a list of things you want to do before you die? Why not just do them?
Now I wish I had, because these days, time is feeling too short. I feel as though I’m on borrowed time, even though at my last scan, everything still looked good.
“Come on, it will be fun.” I move to my knees and pull out my phone. I open the notes app, and type,Our Bucket List,at the top.
“Who’s first?” I ask. Tucker is looking at me with a confused expression on his face. I can’t look at Nathan because he’s looking at me like I’m a piece of glass that’s about to break, so I look at Grace.
“Get a tattoo,” she says, and she’s no longer glaring at me.
“You want a tattoo?” Tucker asks, surprised.
“Yeah, I actually do,” she tells him. “At some point, so maybe not this summer, but put it on the list.”
I type it out.
“I told Tucker a couple of months ago that I’d love to see The Nutcracker again,” I say and type it out.
“I’d like to go on an international tour someday,” Tucker says quietly.
“You will!” I bump my shoulder with his.
“I want to solve a medical mystery,” Nathan says.
“Good, good, this is good,” I say. “The bigger the better, right?”
“How about spending a night under the stars?”
Grace looks at Tucker like he’s stated the most obvious thing. “Um, like we’re doing right now?”
“I guess that’s true,” Tucker says. “But hey, we can cross one thing off the list!”
“I’d love to go on a road trip together,” Nathan says.
“That would be so fun,” I say. “We could do that this summer, before I go to Paris and Tucker goes on tour and you go to school.”
“Let’s do it,” Tucker says.
“I think Rosie should tell Tucker the truth,” Grace says suddenly, and my stomach drops. No, not like this. She can’t be doing this. Is she really still that mad at me?
Tucker freezes behind me. “Tell me the truth about what?”
I’m about to answer when my phone rings; it’s Mom. “Give me a sec.” Nathan’s eyes are wide on me as I stand to move away and answer her call.
I hear Tucker ask, “What does she need to tell me the truth about? I know about the tumor.”
Grace just huffs. Why is she trying to stir up drama? Tucker knows everything now.
