“A flood of emotions rushes into me. Pain and anger. Sadness and pity. But most surprising of all, hope.”

“That’s when I said it. That’s when I whispered to her, “I’m so sorry.” Because inside, I felt so happy and sad at the same time. Sad that it took me so long to get there. But happy that we got there together.”

“I could picture life—school and everything else—continuing on without me. But I could not picture my funeral. Not at all. Mostly because I couldn’t imagine who would attend or what they would say.”

“Because what if I got to know you and you turned out to be just like they said? What if you weren’t the person I hoped you were?That, more than anything, would have hurt the most.”

“And it feels strange, almost sad, to walk through ther empty halls. Each step I take sounds so lonely.”

“Maybe it didn’t seem like a big deal to you Zach. But now, I hope you understand. My world was collapsing. I needed those notes. I needed any hope those notes might have offered. And you? You took that hope away. You decided I didn’t deserve to have it. ”

“How in the world was I alone? Because I wanted to be. That's all I can say. It's all that makes sense to me.”