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Lina exhaled,the fla, and even though I’d known this was conosis and treatrand so hard, and my mom was hooked up to all these monitors It was the firstto lose her" Tears were running down her face, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away Ren slipped his hand onto her back "But do you knohat I re my voice

"You Less than tendown the hallway to her roo at you to stop, but you didn’t care--you just caht up to me And you’d left your house so fast, you hadn’t even put on your shoes" She paused, her eyes glittering "That’s what I’ll always re as they chased after you That’s who you really are, and I’ll never forget that when I needed you the le second You just showed up" She stepped forward, placing the rock at the base of the stump "All hail Queen Maeve My best and fastest friend"

We were both crying, tears washing down our cheeks I’d never considered that that terrible night could hold so that Lina would carry with her as a comfort

"Me next" Ren picked up a rock and stepped forward, squeezing Lina’s shoulder "Has everyone tried Starbursts?"

The abrupt shift in subject , most of it fro not to notice that the croas now three people deep Lina had once confided in er you knew hiot I suddenly saw exactly what she meant

He continued "Well, I love Starbursts Whenever I’m in the States, I eat them nonstop And you kno there’s a social order to the and you eat all the pinks first, then the reds and oranges, leaving the yellows for when you’re really desperate?"

Where was he going with this? I glanced at Lina, but she just smiled

"Anyway, the point is, Addie, you’re a pink Everyone knows you’re a pink Actually, scratch that You’re next-level You’re that limited-edition kind that had all pinks And I know that because when Lina needed you, you were there" He set his rock down "All hail Queen Maeve The pinkest of pink Starbursts"

"Thanks, Ren," I whispered My body didn’t seeh? Cry? Enjoy? I was going to go with enjoy

Next, Rowan stepped forward, his rock resting by his side The stuaze, and his nervousness wafted ontoeven harder

He exhaled "Okay Pink Starburst is always tough to follow, but here goes" He rocked anxiously on his feet, ain irl tackle her brother in a parking lot I thought she was surprising And different So I talked her brother into letting her co her plans" He looked up guiltily, shuffling his feet

"But then the next three days were incredible, because I found out she was more than just feisty She was s weather-appropriate And we talked about things I’d never talked about with anyone And even when our car flooded, and we got chased by guard dogsI just kept thinking, I wish this ould never end"

He lifted his chin, looking ht in the eye "And I wanted to tell you that you don’t need that guy back hoh all on your own You’resettled onthat I’d lost track of this su that h, all on my own I wanted to climb down and rest my head on his shoulder, but instead I just ducked my head "Thank you, Rowan," I whispered