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Slipping the rubber band free, I uncurled the sheet of paper and gasped

I leaned in closer, to get a better look as a wide smile slowly drewwhen I’d assu, because it was Only this one wasn’t drawn on the road This one was so much more personal, and meant solely for me

It was me

Me, the way I’d looked the day I’d come home, when I’d first stumbled across the street and fallen into Tyler’s arh e perfectly, with precision and depth and life So, seeer questioned whether they fit ed to re-create the arch of my brows and the shape of my jaw and each and every freckle splattered across my nose

Immediately, I texted him back: I love it Thank you Because what more could I possibly say?

CHAPTER EIGHT

Day Five

THIS WAS MY MOM’S FIRST DAY BACK AT WORK since I’d been hoest she’d been off work at one time since she’d squeezed out her new kid, so it hadn’t been hard to convince her I’d be fine and that I could fend forto my obsession with the calendar, which ht’ve kept me company, was at school too I was co the house

By 8:16 I’d taken a coerator, the kitchen cabinets, and the pantry, and noted the sad lack of nonnutritional, preservative-laden snack foods

By 8:43 I was bored out of my frickin’ skull

I finally settled down on the couch and started flipping through the channels,talk shows aimed at the stay-at-home-mom crowd I paused when one of those talk shoas interrupted by a local news seght and scratchy as I stared at the fauy who’d taken ht I’d co, he was dead