“That wasn’t Christian,” she says.“Brilliant observation, Mother.”“What happened?”“He’s in love with another girl,” I say, and pull the silver laurel out of my hair.”

“Fine.” He smirks at me. “Nice to meet you, Carrots,” he says, looking directly at my hair. “Oh, I mean Clara.”My face flames.“Same to you, Rusty,” I shoot back, but he’s already striding away.”

“My mother always says that love is like a snakebite, a venom slowly spreading through your veins.”

“It wasn't you're fault," I whisper. And then out of self-protection more than anything else, I bring the glory. I don't warn him or anything. I don't damp it down. I bring it. The room fills with light."This is what I am," I say, my hair ablaze around my head.He squints at me. his jaw juts out a little in pure stubbornness. He stands his ground"I know," he says.I take a step towards him, close the space between us, put my glowing hand against his cheek. He starts to tremble. "This is what I am," I say again and my wings are out now.His knees wobble, but he fights it. He puts his hand at my waist, turns me, pulls me closer, which surprises me."I can accept that," he whispers, and holds his breath, and leans in to kiss meHis lips brush mine for an instant, and an emotion like victory tears through him, but he pulls away and glances at the front door. Groans.Christian is standing in the doorway."Wow," Tucker says, trying to grin. "You really know how to cramp a guy's style."His legs give out. He falls to his knees.My light blinks off.”

“And then I can feel what he feels. He’s waited such a long time for this moment. He loves how I feel in his arms. He loves the smell of my hair. He loves the way I looked at him just now, flushed and wanting more from him. He loves the color of my lips and now the taste of my mouth is making his knees feel weak and he doesn’t want to seem weak in front of me.”

“Think about a good memory, she whispers in my mind. Remember a moment when you loved him. And just like that, I do. "What did the fish say when it hit a concrete wall?" he asked me. We're sitting on the bank of a stream and he's tying a fly onto my fishing rod, wearing a cowboy hat and red lumberjack-style flannel shirt over a gray tee. So adorable. "What?" I say, he grins. Unbelievable of how gorgeous he is. And that he's mine. He loves me and I love him. "Dam!" he says.”

“They stare at each other, one of those high-testosterone stares. “Amazing,” Tucker says. There’s a challenge in his voice. “Best summer of my life.”I wonder if it’s too late to get out of this class.“Well, that’s the thing about summers, isn’t it?” says Christian after a minute. “They have to end sometime.”