“I had died and woken up in High School Musical”

“He jumped to the adjacent table and America squealed and clapped, elbowing me. I shook my head; I had died and woken up in High School Musical.”

“This was the best Thanksgiving we’ve had since Mom died.”I pulled my head up to see his expression. He was smiling, but it was tinged with sadness.“I’m glad I was here to see it.”

“The moment. When I watch you sleeping, that peace on your face? This is it. I haven't had it since before my mom died, but I can feel it again.”

“When Pidge wakes up, let me know, okay?” he said in a soft voice. “I got spaghetti,and pancakes, and strawberries, and that oatmeal shit with the chocolate packets, and shelikes Fruity Pebbles cereal, right, Mare?” he asked, turning.When he saw me, he froze. After an awkward pause, his expression melted, and hisvoice was smooth and sweet.“Hey, Pigeon.”I couldn’t have been more confused if I had woken up in a foreign country. Nothingmade sense. At first I thought I had been evicted, and then Travis comes home with bagsfull of my favorite foods.He took a few steps into the living room, nervously shoving his hands in his pockets.“You hungry, Pidge? I’ll make you some pancakes. Or there’s uh…there’s some oatmeal.And I got you some of that pink foamy shit that girl’s shave with, and a hairdryer, and a…a….just a sec, it’s in here,” he said, rushing to the bedroom.The door opened, shut, and then he rounded the corner, the color gone from his face.He took a deep breath and his eyebrows pulled in. “Your stuff’s packed.”“I know,” I said.“You’re leaving,” he said, defeated.”

“I can't win with you. I can't win with you! You say you're done...I'm fucking miserable over here! I had to break my phone into a million pieces to keep from calling you every minute of the damn day--I've had to play it off like everything is just fine at school so you can be happy...and you're fucking mad at me? You broke my fuckin' heart!”

“I had fought my feelings, guarded them, and bottled them up. I had experienced the happiest moments of my life while at Eastern, all of them with Travis. Fighting, laughing, loving or crying, if it was with him, I was where I wanted to be.”