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Mo to chastiseme in her arms Arms that are a little thicker than they used to be

"I’ll be alright, sweetie," Shepurple-streaked hair "It’s okay It’s okay to stop worrying, now"

"I can’t," I say "If I stop, so, I won’t pay attention, and sohtens "You’ve been so strong forThank you"

I feel a familiar prickle in th, looking me up and down as she strokesfor yourself Not h, but it’s watery "I’ood at that"

She sray mirrors full of love "Then it’s time to learn"

In the very back of my closet, I find the pink blouse Kelly sent me But it’s more than that, now It’s the pink blouse Jack said I was - I was - I can’t even bring myself to say it, and how lame is that, that I can’t even say a word? Mouths arewords and I have one, and I knoords, but this one is hard This oneso it’s hard

In this pink blouse, someone called me beautiful for the first time Someone I respected Respect Someone I loved

Love

Love?

I shake my head and jam the blouse into the farthest reaches of my suitcase You never knohen you’ll need a new curtain Or a toilet rag

Moot h school High school Hi, school Bye, school I shiver a little as I realize I’m not in it anymore I’m officially out Half of me wants to drink nineteen redbulls and dance thehokey pokey nonstop for twenty four hours, and the other part of me wants to crawl back into school, wrap it around me like a security blanket and never co with dread like a grubby caterpillar refusing to get out of his cocoon

Kayla pulls into our driveway just as Mo I juht on time for our dinner date Our last, and final, farewell dinner date She gets out of the car in a blindingly beautiful white dress and sandals, her dark hair coreets swarriors When we’re on the road, she huffs

"Is the stuff in the trunk really all you’re bringing? Roypsies travel with er "But Roypsies don’t have an entire suitcase pocket devoted to Haribo gummy bears"

Kayla rolls her eyes "You’re so nuts"

"I prefer gummies to nuts"

"Oh do you?" Kayla arches her brow in that terribly cheesy double entendre way and I suppress the urge to pluck it off her face Her face is a work of art, cheesy eyebrow or no I don’t ruin art Except when I do And then I get yelled at

"Anyway," I say "This is the last time we’ll see each other until Christ equally entertaining yet hway "I know just the place"

I recognize the street before I do the restaurant The Red Fern looed Jack and Kayla’s first date The one I stalked them at But Kayla doesn’t know that, of course She picks a booth by theand we settle in, her ordering ice tea and me a root beer

"If ere in Europe, we’d be able to order wine," Kayla sighs dreaood there"

I frown, re the ticket Jack left me It leaves a sour taste in ue"

"That was centuries ago, Isis No one has the black plague any to differ"

Kayla rolls her eyes and orders spring rolls for us to split I look around nervously at the decor The saer in the vases, and the crystal light fixtures look like seaweed suspended in ice