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I went to see your ood Your dad wasn’t around, so I didn’t get to say goodbye to hi my fall break That was part of the deal with hts hoet to come home four ti to be hard Of course, I also have to get on an airplane Alone I know I don’t have to explain any of this to you I guess that’s why I write

Wish you would write back

Love, Rowe

He won’t write back He never does But that won’t stopout when the sound of a new e startles me My mom is really the only other person I connect with on Facebook anyht now

It’s a picture of Nate, on a beach somewhere, without a shirt I don’t think thatwith nerves, andto slow fro irl named Row She elve, and that ard And I’m pretty sure her parents have now put me on a block list since her mom was the one to intercept Anyhow, found you Roith an e…at least, I think this is you? Wanted to see if you wanted to check out the area with me tomorrow? Take a walk, around 11? Let me know

-357 ;-)

I don’t kno to do this I don’t kno to do any of this And I’ It’s harood at that either, but o places--places feel like relationships And I definitely don’t kno to do relationships, having had an entire one in my life Besides, I would just be someone’s poison

I shut my laptop and push it away froetables The crickets are still chirping outside, and in the distance I can hear thefrom someone’s apartment balcony If I listen closely, I can aluys celebrating Maybe it’s all in e, based on all of the movies I’ve seen Or maybe it’s real I’ll never know because I’ve kept myself on the periphery, too afraid to be in theso afraid

My hair is still damp, so I reach under my bed for a dry towel to cover ivesand straight--the color of a pecan, just like ood at sports; I was on the tennis team before I left the school system, and I continued to play with s onTaking hing hard

Nate probably won’t reined some crazy scenario where we’re a couple, leaps and bounds away froirls to arrive to the dor better co, he’s a potential friend, andmy number in my inner circle from one--if Cass even counts yet--to two

I know that in about two ht accidentally agree to donate all of ans to Nate, so I open the screen on e e that has suddenly taken over reat I’ll meet you at the elevator

-333

Chapter 3

Nate

I know the second he finds out Ty is going to give me shit She’s totally ood reason, to help weed out all of the jerks on earth And ood instincts It’s why I’s, and what the batter is going to do But my instincts run deep I can read people off the field, too And Thirty-three? She’s not the kind of girl that spends an hour getting ready to go out for the night She’s blue jeans and T-shirts Burgers and fries

Her fingers were bare--no annoyingly long fake nail shit or sparkly colors She earing an old T-shirt to bed, not so in my closet And, while I know this would probably mortify her that I noticed, her underas siranny panties They were tiny and delicate and far froht seconds they were in ined the to haunt ht