Page 11 of With a Little Luck

It’s followed by a link to the online submission form for theDungeon. I cringe.

Jude:You didn’t finish your new song. Should I submit half a drawing?

Ari:Half would still be better than nothing …

She sends a photo she took of last night’s flyer with the sketch of the bard, Araceli the Magnificent. In the photo I can see that it has creases from being folded. Ari must have slipped it into her pocket at some point.

Ari:This is a masterpiece, Jude. You’re a modern day Da Vinci! You can’t hide your talent from the world forever.

Jude:Challenge accepted.

“You sure are smiling a lot over there,” Pru says.

I roll my eyes and tuck my phone away. “Ari’s being ridiculous.”

Pru side-eyes me in a way that seems more meaningful than it should. “And what ridiculous thing is Ari saying this morning?”

“She thinks I should submit one of my drawings to theDungeon.”

Penny gasps from the back seat. “That magazine? You should! You could be published!”

I shake my head. “They wouldn’t take it. I’m not that good.”

“Doesn’t hurt to try,” says Pru.

“Ari keeps saying that, too, and I’m just not sure I agree. Rejection sucks.”

Pru raspberries her lips. “You’ll never get what you want if you don’t ask for it. Or better yet—demandthat the world give you what you deserve.”28

I shoot Pru an annoyed look. “All I want from the world is a reboot ofFirefly.”

“I want world peace,” pipes in Ellie.

“Oh yeah, that too,” I say. “Fireflyfirst, but world peace is a close second.”

“Excuse me,” says Lucy. “Why is everyone talking over my show?”

“Pause it,” says Pru. No,demandsPru. (She makes it look so simple.) Lucy makes an aggravated noise in her throat, but she does pause the podcast.

“I’m with Ari,” says Pru, pulling up to a red light. “You should be submitting your art to publications. The worst that can happen is they don’t take it.” Pru grabs a lipstick tube from the van’s center console and starts to apply it in the rearview mirror.

“I know!” says Ellie, bouncing in her car seat. “Flip a coin to decide if you should submit something!”

Pru and I exchange looks as she snaps the lipstick lid back on. The light changes, and Pru pulls onto the street in front of Ellie’s elementary school.

“Fine,” I say. “We’ll flip a coin.”

“I’ll do it,” says Lucy, taking the quarter that Ellie fishes from her backpack.

“Heads,” I call as she flips the coin. It hits the ceiling of the van, and she barely catches it before flipping it over onto her arm. Lucy shows Ellie first, who gives a loud cheer.

“Heads!” She beams and points at me. “You have to submit something!”

My brow furrows. “But I called heads. I won.”

“Yeah, so now you submit something.”

I open my mouth to protest, but Pru is laughing. “Guess you should clarify the terms next time.”

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