Gretchen Powell

“You want to hide,” he says. “I know. Because you feel like you’re not allowed to think the things you think. Or feel the things you feel.”“Welcome to the human condition,” I say wryly.”

“The stars glitter from outside... like cosmic confetti sprinkled across the night sky.”

“Looks like sunsets are growing on you.”

“Don't you see? We were meant to save each other.”

“Something clicks in my brain. My heart instantly plummets to the bottom of my stomach, and I feel my face start to flush with new color.I pull my head back and look up to meet his unparalleled eyes."Adam.”

“Why aren't you at school?" I ask suddenly. "It's a holiday," he says, a little too quickly."Right. What holiday would that be? National Talk Out of Your Ass Day?”

“Ten neatly coiffed female attendants stand against the walls, ready and waiting. Wearing starched yellow blouses with pink crossover ties neatly folded under the collar, they look as much a part of the ship’s decoration as the sparkling crystal chandeliers that hang overhead.”

“Why don’t we just assume from now on that I’m just generally freaked out at all times?”