Carpe Diem by Rae Matthews Page A

in hand ready to make my escape.
    “It was so amazing. I wish you could have been there with us, you would have loved it.”
    “Oh hell no, you are not getting me to jump out of a plane unless it is on fire and I have no other choice.” She laughs.
    I smile and use my key fob to unlock my door in the hopes she will let me leave without coming back around to why I am here.
    “I’m gonna get going. I’m getting hungry and dinner won’t cook itself.” I joke.
    “Sure thing and I have to stop at the office to fill out some paperwork on this asshole. Call me later if you want to chat some more,” she adds and walks away.
    Thank God. I can’t believe that worked. I can’t believe I almost got caught. All the more reason why I should stop doing this to myself. Casey would have ripped me a new one if she had found out. Abby would have lectured me on how damaging it is. Then there is Flynn, he might actually understand. Granted he would think I was still a little batshit crazy for doing it, but he would understand my need.
    Pulling back into my driveway, I am relieved that I am finally home. I’m still no closer to my answers about the cup, but I’m not exposed either.
    Walking back into my kitchen, I open the fridge to weigh my options for dinner. I haven’t been grocery shopping yet so my options are a little limited. My eyes glance at the pieces on the counter again. I let out a loud “UUUUHHHH” and slam the refrigerator door. I grab my phone and pull up my contacts.
    “Thank you for calling Pizza Hut, this is Adam. What can we make fresh for you today?”
    “Hey, Adam, it’s Piper. Can I get my usual?”
    “Oh for sure, anything for you, doll. It will be about thirty minutes.”
    “Thanks, Adam.”
    I hang up and toss my phone gently onto the center island. While I wait for my dinner, I decide it is a good time for wine. Wine makes everything clearer, that is until the next morning, and you realize one bottle turned into three and your head is yelling at you. Luckily, Abby is not here or it would turn into one of those nights.
    I pour myself a glass of Moscato then retrieve my small velvet box from the hutch. Taking a seat at the dining room table, I slowly open the box, take a sip of wine, then retrieve the folded paper from inside. Scanning the list carefully, I find what I am looking for and cross it off.
     
    Skydive
     
    Scanning the list again, I pay closer attention to the ones that were already crossed off.
     
    Fall in love
    Do a polar plunge
    Win a contest
    Volunteer my time
    Take a walk with my mom
    Go fishing with my dad
     
    I remember each of them as if they were yesterday. The polar plunge Jack, Flynn, and I did barely a week after I made the list. Being the first week of March in the Midwest, we froze our respective asses off. I immediately regretted showing Jack my list at that point. He saw polar plunge and immediately signed us up for the senior plunge. I swear, whoever thought jumping into a lake in freezing temperatures was absolutely, positively insane, and the fact that we have kept this tradition for so many years makes the rest of us positively as insane as they were.
    The funny part was that to make it fun and goofy we dressed up as Alvin and the chipmunks. Okay, it wasn’t originally our idea to dress up—it was also part of the tradition to dress up or something equally as funny. Most guys came in some form of drag and most girls wore anything that let them have on as much clothing as possible. After we made our jump, we swore we would never in a million years, even if our lives depended on it, would we ever and I mean ever do it again. To this day, we never have.
    Again, why is this still a tradition? Has no one come up with a better idea, or do we think that this is a good idea. Okay, so it did seem like a good idea at the time. However, afterward it seemed like it took us a month to thaw out, plus I ended up getting the flu and missing a few days of school. Half the senior