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“… if she’d been a better friend…”

“… poor thing…”

“… some nerve…”

“Hey, Lexi, you want to sit here? Lexi ”

She turned slowly, saw Zach’s ex-girlfriend, Aht

Aether to make room

Lexi sat down by Airl’s sad eyes, and suddenly they were both crying They hadn’t been friends in high school, but it didn’t matter now; all that stuff just fell away “It totally wasn’t your fault,” Amanda said “I don’t care what people say ”

Lexi was surprised by how much that meant to her “Thanks ”

Before Aan

The priest said Mia’s nairl in the church burst into tears, and more than a few boys joined in The priest’s words painted a picture of a happy eighteen-year-old girl as almost Mia and yet not quite He didn’t say that she snored when she lay on her back or that she moved her lips when she read or that she liked to hold her best friend’s hand while they walked through the mall

His words she could withstand It was the slideshow of Mia’s life that devastated her Mia in a pink tutu, her ar a Captain Hook action figure, grinning … holding Zach’s hand as they stood in the cold ocean water, gri a crazy tie-dyed T-shirt and cutoffs, s the world a thumbs-up

Lexi closed her eyes, sobbing now Music began to play: it was not the right , solemn chords And somehow that hurt ht of Mia It should have been a Disney song, sootten Mia on her feet andwith her hairbrush as a microphone …

Sing with , saying, noto howl …

Lexi wanted to clamp her hands over her ears, but the words ca over

“Tiently