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"Donuts," Mason says, interrupting hts

"Donuts?"

"She likes donuts," he supplies

"The jelly-filled kind," I agree

"Start there I brought Hope candy every single day until she forgaveit to remind her"

"Remind her of what?"

"What she saw in me in the first place What made her care to look"

I don’t think Lucy likes donuts enough to get one every day But that’s okay because I can switch it up I’ to do this my way I may not knohole hell of a lot about her, but I like what I do know And now I realize I want to learn more I want to know it all

31

Lucy

I’ve waited a week for Park to try to talk to ain I haven’t seen or heard from hiht?

But it’s really not That’s just what I tell myself to make me feel better Because the cold hard truth is this: I want Park I want Park to want ive hi I hate him for what he did But I love hi about hi of me I want him to think of me I want him to be sorry

I want him to love me back

I’m a mess A complete, hot mess

I crank the music loud and step into the shower Every day, this si breaks my heart It’s this constant reminder of what I had for one short ed the shower curtain I’ve thrown his toothbrush away I even replaced mine I purchased new shampoo and conditioner It doesn’t take any of the ?

It’s been awith Park That’s all we had It shouldn’t mean this ry any so o back Maybe we can at least hold on to our friendship Can I do that?

I turn the water off and wrap myself in a towel Yes, I think I can do that It has to be easier than this And I know easy doesn’t always ht

Friends

We never really got to be friends

I brush throughfor the first tiet dressed, my heart beats quickly with a nervous excite heart stops beating all together I glance around the empty room quickly then back to the mysterious box I approach it slowly It’s just a simple white box I flip the lid open and frown There’s an arron on the bottoht--to the

My curiosity is peaked, but I’m naked I throw my clothes on quicker than I’ve ever dressed before and practically run to theThrowing it open, I lean out and look around Three steps down, there’s another box

I crawl out and open the lid There’s a sun inside, and under it, one ritten on the bottom of the box: Down

I deflate with disappoint But a squirt gun? It’s obviously Jess And I’un into my pocket and tromp down the stairs

In front of Jessie’sis another box I open it with less enthusiasm and then stare inside with confusion This ti fros before taking it out Where it sat, there’s another arrow

I press the soft butterfly to my chest with one hand and open the ith the other Peeking inside first, I let aze scan the room It looks like it always does Unainst one wall And eht for it

I hesitate, looking around once htens It’s the book I got Park The second one in the series he and I were reading My heart is pounding againstas I take it out of the box On the bottom, one word: Out

I pause Out the door or the ? I cao out the door I can’t help it--I look for him as soon as I step into the hall He’s not there, but there’s another box I nearly trip in h I have no idea what’s going on, I like this game

The third and final book of the series is inside I pluck it out and hug it to ht into Park’s bedrooo back ho down at the books inon top, I touch the squirt gun in my pocket and make a choice

I step inside his roo down and slowly raise the lid And then I sle jelly donut I move it to the side and read the words beneath: Turn Around

I read it oncean ice crea onto his fingers He licks it away slowly and I sith difficulty

Everything has significance Froun--just like I shot him with the first ti froether, to the ice cream in his hand--just like when he told e off my body

"Hi," he says softly

"Hi," I whisper

He moves toward me and I take an involuntary step back I don’t make it far, my calves hit the bed and I freeze

"We need to talk"

"About what?" I rasp

His eyes lock onto mine The determination there makes my breaths come faster "You and me"

"There is no you andout

"There’s a you and me, Lucy There has to be," he says fir for me?"

I nod

"Is there a chance--any chance at all--that you can forgive me?"