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"I don’t know," I admitted I turned toward the entryhere I had dropped allthe note, but Lana had cleaned it up

"Oh!" She popped up "I saw it and stuffed it in your bag" She brought h it to pull out the folded piece of lined notebook paper

The note felt combustible I was afraid to unfold it I shoved it back into the bag, as if I could hide the whole situation aithout having to deal with it again

"What does it say?" Lana leaned toward

"I don’t care What could he say?"

She shrugged and pointed out, "You don’t have to guess The answer is right there Want me to read it for you?"

In all the years that Noah and I had been writing, no one else had read his letters to me They were on guarding her gold But for the very first time, I was afraid of what one of Noah’s letters said, so I reluctantly handed it over and covered my eyes

I heard the crinkle of paper as Lana unfolded the note, and then silence Impatient despite my fear, I lifted my hand and peeked over at her I could see the pen h the back of the lined paper The note was short Without even thinking about it, I grabbed the note back and read

Dear Grace,

I thought about how to introduce, or should I say re-introduce, myself to you a million times In all of ht explaining the last two years to you in a letter But I need you to know that your letters to s that kept me sane I don’t want to lose the friendship we built over those four years Meet me and let me make amends for what happened I have an explanation Whether it is any good, whether you forgive me, is all in your hands

Text me at 619-867-5309 I’ll meet you Any time Any place

Love,

Noah

"Love?" He had never written those four letters before I had Like an ass, when I wrote to hined my letter "Love, Grace" I wondered if that was partly what set hie freak he’d conned out of forty-eight care packages and letters I cru tothe ball of paper out of my hand She tossed it onto the coffee table I i it out Even now, after everything he had done, I couldn’t help myself

"I don’t know," I mumbled Why was he here? Was he a student? He had a backpack, but that couldIt must have really been hio for tonight Come to the party and enjoy yourself" Lana looked at her watch "We can toss back a few drinks here and then go to the Delt house"

The mention of the fraternity reminded me I had promised to take rush photos for Aroaned in disot about the photos Is Aht away and said that you weren’t feeling well She said tomorroould be fine"

"Lana, if you weren’t my cousin, I would kiss you on the lips"

"It’s only the cousin thing that is stopping you?" She teased me

"You’re the finest piece of ass here at Central, but I have to resist your char jokes, I pronounce you sufficiently recovered to go and get shit-faced and leer at the Delt rush candidates," Lana proclaimed

Lana went to make some calls, and I sat on the sofa and tried to stop all the crazy thoughts I had froh ainst my truck when I returned fro up soirls he’d ever been with They were interchangeable to me, and likely to Bo, too, since he called theured I would know if he ever fell for a girl when he called her by her first name instead of some random endearment

"That was a clusterfuck, eh?" he asked as I approached

"Yup," I climbed into ine a couple of tiet in the damn truck He could pick up chicks another tiirl, do you want to talk about it?" Bo asked when he finally got into the passenger seat I threw the truck in reverse and peeled out of ca lot

"No, Bo Peep, I don’t," I bit out

So

"What were you thinking?"

"What part of ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ did you not understand?"

"Are you giving up?"

"What?" I swung my head toward him Bo threw up his hands "No way" I looked back at the road

"Then let’s strategize"

"I’ve already ic ht to catch her I surprised and maybe embarrassed her after class If I see her at a party and spill beer all over her, my trifecta of stupidity would be complete"

"So nohat?"

"Now, it’s tiht?"

"Both"

Chapter Three

Dear Grace,

I’uys that are hoirlfriends for months except over the Internet

I don’t have much to miss back home but I’m here with my best bud, Bo Randolph We’ve been friends since we tried to beat the piss out of each other in seventh grade Served teeks of suspension and found out we had a lot in common