The Bucket List

i didn't ask for your help

"Number seventeen?" He passes me the paper.

"Sure. Give me five minutes." I run upstairs and change into a pair of black tights and a grey sweater that reads 'Brooklyn' on the front, and slip on a pair of low rise white converse.

I apply a little bit of concealer and mascara to my face and head back downstairs.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Woah..." He says, looking at me. "You look totally different."

"Um, thanks," I say, putting my hair in a messy bun. "I'm driving. Let's go." We get in the car and drive downtown to a local coffee shop and park in front of it.

We start to look around for people who look like they might need some help.

The place is pretty deserted, not many people walking around.

"What about her?" Kevin asks, pointing to a girl sitting on a park bench by herself, reading a thick book.

"Sure." I approached her, feeling a little nervous. "Excuse me," I begin, "You look a little lonely."

"Am I that obvious?" She says quietly, taking a look at me. I notice I breathing tube in her nose, then gaze to the side to notice an air tank sitting beside her.

"What? No!" I say, laughing slightly. "I'm sorry, I was just wondering if you wanted to join me and my friend, Kevin, for a coffee, I'll buy it." I say with a small smile. She looks at me, at the ground, and then back at me again.

"Are you sure?" She says, "I don't want to intrude."

"I'm positive. I want to help."

"Okay." She says, a little enthusiastically.

"Sounds great," I stand up, and hold out my hand, "I'm Morgan."

"Riley."

"That's beautiful. It's very nice to meet you." I say, starting to walk with her. We approach Kevin and he introduces himself, she gently shakes his hand and we go inside.

"Three medium coffees, please." I say, pulling out a five dollar bill. I tell the barista to keep the change, as I'm feeling pretty generous today, and it was only fifty cents.

She hands us each a coffee, and we go to sit down at a table.

It's a little awkward at first, but then I decide to make small conversation.

"So, Riley," I ask, "how old are you?"

"I'm fourteen." She says, smiling a little.

"I'm sixteen, " I say, "turning seventeen."

"I'm seventeen," Kevin chimes in.

"When do you turn fifteen?" I ask, with a smile.

"In December." She says, "The fifteenth, actually."

I turn my head to the side. "My Birthday is on the fifteenth, too." She flashes a genuine smile. Her teeth are unbelievably straight.

"I didn't know your Birthday was on the fifteenth." Kevin looks at me.

"Really? I've known you for what, ten years and you didn't bother to learn my Birthday?"

"I guess not, do you know when mine is?" I stare at him, as if it say 'of course I do.'

"March 1st."

"Oh..." He says, defeated, which earns a laugh from Riley. "So, anyway, Riley," he says, "Tell us a bit about yourself." He says, kindly, which was a tone I didn't know he had.