Page 77 (1/2)

His insides shook

A crushing weight settled onto his chest

One thatas he took to the stage

He went through theat the appropriate ti the Senior Citizen Center But he couldn’t keep his , no matter how much he tried

Just her Just McKenzie

Not Shelby

How could he have said Just McKenzie?

How could he feel that?

He owed Shelby his dedication, his life, because he’d taken hers

Then it was ti and for their donations to Celebration Graduation

Only when he went to thank them did more words spill out than he’d meant to say Words he’d never spoken out loud Not ever

“I’ve had people ask me in the past why I’an, staring out into the audience without really seeing anyone “Most of the time I come up with an answer about how I believe in the cause and want to do oes rams such as Celebration Graduation need to exist At the end of h school, was killed in a car crash because I made the bad decision to drive while under the influence of alcohol I lost control of the car and hit a tree We were both airlifted to a trauht”

McKenzie covered her mouth with her hand

Oh, God She should have known, should have figured out the truth behind Shelby’s death Only how could she have?

“So the truth is that ers an alternative to how they spend t