The Lucky Ones

Chapter One

 May

 

I bolt across the lawn, squinting through the inky black. The streetlamp behind me casts a pool of light, but it s weak. Clouds block the moon.

 

As I run, I wipe my hand across my forehead, and it comes back wet. It s hot as shit out here, even though it s January in Los Angeles and that s supposed to mean something. It s been like this for weeks--hot and still. Earthquake weather, Lucy s grandmother claims, even though I keep telling her it s been scientifically proven that you can t predict an earthquake.

 

I m alone; Lucy ditched me after our late-night dinner. I guess I can t blame her for going home; it s after midnight and we have school in the morning--my first day at this new school since I was kicked out of the old one almost ten months ago. I probably should have gone home too, but I couldn t without coming here first. It s not like I sleep anymore, anyway.

 

Lucy would have a fit if she knew where I went after she left.

 

Ever since we figured out that Michelle Teller installed motion-sensitive lights on the side of the garage, Lucy s been so much more cautious--all Dude, May, I love you but we need to be careful, messing with that shit--which I get for her--I get it, I do--but for me, it s different. For me, it s worth it. She disagrees, but as much as I love Lucy and as much as I tell her about what s running through this fucked-up head of mine, I don t tell her everything.

 

Like, tonight. When I called her, late, and asked her to meet me at the diner for some food--I didn t tell her why.

 

This afternoon I checked the mail for the first time all weekend and there was another one, waiting for me in the box.

 

When I saw it, my insides froze. I grabbed it, went upstairs, stuffed it under my clothes way in the back of my closet, and then

Liz Lawson works in the entertainment industry as a music supervisor for film and TV. The Lucky Ones is her first novel. She lives in Los Angeles with her family. To learn more about Liz and her novel, go to lizlawsonauthor.com or follow @lzlwsn on Twitter and Instagram.

A must-read for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and This Is How It Ends. Paste Magazine

Wildly ambitious and wholly empathetic, devastatingly raw, and impossibly gentle; a must-read in this moment.   Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This heartbreaking and touching story of grief and loss, as well as hope and forgiveness, will resonate with readers who deal with this fear and reality on a daily basis.   School Library Journal

"[An] intense, affecting debut"  Publishers Weekly

"Tragically relevant and with a nuanced perspective on grief and being a survivor....The Lucky Ones portrays grief as multifaceted and complicated."  Booklist

A gripping, emotional, suspenseful, and ultimately hopeful story about loss, survivor s guilt, and learning to find love and trust again. Put The Lucky Ones on your TBR list you do NOT want to miss it! Karen M. McManus, New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

A harrowing and beautifully told story about how far the tentacles of tragedy can reach. May s story of grief, survival, and reckoning is tenderly and honestly explored. A simply stunning debut. Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces

Liz Lawson writes as a listener first, allowing her characters to fill the pages of The Lucky Ones with their vibrant, unique voices as they take up the space they (and Lawson) demand for themselves, for their humanity, for their lives. Will Walton, author of I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain

"Exploding with raw anger, and underneath it all, a deep, driving ache, this debut is a reminder to hug those we love, and not take a single second we have with them for granted. Highly, highly recommend."  Kelly Coon, author of Gravemaidens

"Goodness. This story made me ugly cry next to strangers on an airplane. The Lucky Ones is so beautiful and important.