The Bucket List

f i v e

I didn't even need to say anything as I looked at Mia tight-lipped. I wasn't sure how to answer her question without being too obvious. But judging from her expression, she already knew my answer. She wasn't kidding when she said that I sucked at hiding my feelings.

"Maybe next week?" I offered as Mia's glare intensified.

Mia had a very terrifying stare. She wasn't even using much facial muscles as she looked at me. Her brows weren't furrowed, but they were just as heavy. Her eyes were expressionless, and the corner of her lip were tilted downwards. But even when she stared at me like this, it scared me. It was as scary as Daniel's glare, if not, scarier.

Daniel showed his anger through his eyes, forehead, jaw, and even through words. It was easy to figure out when Daniel was angry. Mia, on the other hand, I had no clue. So, as I looked at her I couldn't tell if she was angry, annoyed, or disappointed.

What felt like forever, Mia suddenly sighed and looked to the side. "Well, we do have class with Daniel next. Maybe I can convince you to talk to him then."

I laughed. "No. I'm good. Thanks for the offer though," I mumbled as I moved my attention to my sandwich.

Mia spent the first half of lunch trying to convince me to walk up to Daniel in the lunch area and speak to him. I first said, 'you're hilarious', and then several no's after that.

"Come on, Ellie! You need to do it. It's part of your bucket list for crying out loud. How are you going to finish it if you can't even say 'hello' to a boy?"

She made it sound so simple. But she was right. I needed to get over this fear. Daniel played a big role in my Bucket List. He was officially the key to ticking off item 21: make a difference to someone else's life. If I was successful in changing Daniel for the better, then I had done something no one else was able to do. But that meant I had to interact with him. Couldn't I just leave that for the second half of the year though? I mean, there was no rush. Right?

"I need time to get used to him," I mumbled. "And for him to get used to me."

"He's not an animal," Mia rolled her eyes. "I mean, yes, figuratively speaking, he's an animal. But literally speaking, no, he's not."

I bit my lip, refraining myself from laughing.

"How do we get Daniel Ross to talk to you?" she asked herself.

Mia's expression changed suddenly, and instinctively, my heart dropped. Uh oh. That face, she held right now, was never a good sign. It was the type of expression that could be best described as a 'light bulb moment'. And whenever she had it, it meant run. So, cautiously, I started packing my bag and preparing to run as fast I could. Whatever Mia was thinking, it wasn't good. But before I could make a run for it, the bell rang causing me to jump in my seat.

Mia rubbed her hands together mischievously and I gulped. "Wh-what are you planning?" I stuttered.

Mia frowned innocently. "Whatever do you mean?" she played dumb. Of course, she did. "Come on, we'll be late for class," she said eagerly.

The whole way there, I cautiously watched her. Trying to figure out what she planned because I knew she devised something. All I knew that it has something to do with getting me to talk to Daniel. And the fact she was refusing to tell me meant I wasn't going to like it.

As we entered class, I headlined to the back. I took a seat at the back corner, placing my bag at the feet of my chair and pulled out my exercise book. I looked over to my side expecting Mia to be there, but the seat was empty.

I frowned. My eyes surveyed the room, looking for her. She definitely walked in with me.

I found her standing at the front of the class. Just standing there. Patiently. She wasn't even doing anything. She wasn't making an announcement or looking at her phone. She just stood there with her arms crossed and tapping her foot on the linoleum floors.