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“Where’s your coivesbunch of feirl to a wo stretches Everyone looks at the bouquet It’s lovely We all want it

I see Josh’s mom on the sidelines She s her eyes Who knohat enuine regret that she has upset me Josh repositions for a better view and he and his estures to hi He looks at me sharply

It’s all too much

“Here we go!” Mindy turns her back on us and s The bouquet is a pink-lily confection

I hardly register the slap of the flowers against irl, who screa their heads and laughing at my lack of coordination Everyone turns to the person next to theht that

I’ered in full

I politely laugh and e to walk slowly froh the spectators Now I’et out of this roo the o down the waitstaff passageway and find arden beside the hotel

A few boys in white shirts and ties are s with their cell phones They look at me with bored expressions I pick up , the spikes of round I want to run until I reach the water I want to leap into a rowboat and sail to a deserted island

Only then will I be able to face up to it

I have feelings for Joshua Tes Why else would this hurt soinbouquet and see hie

The footsteps approaching come too fast I bite back a swell of iive him a piece of my mind

Then I see it’s Joshua’s mother

Chapter 24

Oh, hi,” Isome air”

Elaine looks at me, and opens her purse and finds her pack of Kleenex I’m confused by it until I press it to my eye and it comes aet