“I’m gonna miss you,” Brianna says.“I’m gonna miss you too, baby,” Angelo murmurs.For Pete’s sake. It’s not like she’s leaving on a trip around the world. She’s only headed to homeroom.”

“I know she’s in there and I’m warnin’ you, Sadie, I’m gonna pull her out.”

“Baby, you are gonna miss that plane.”

“Speaking of tired, I’m exhausted,” I breathed. “I’m gonna head to bed, Baby.” I looked to everyone else. “Good night, guys.”“Night, Sis,” Jim said.Travis’ brothers all bid me goodnight, and I headed up the stairs.“I’m gonna turn in, too,” I heard Travis say.“I bet you are,” Trenton teased.“Lucky bastard,” Tyler grumbled.“Hey. We’re not going to talk about your sister like that,” Jim warned.”

“Todd!” she says again but this time in a way that asks me to look at her and I do and she stops Angharrad at the edge of the square and she’s looking at me, looking right into my eyes–And I read her–And I know exactly what she’s thinking–And my Noise and my heart and my head fill up fit to burst, fill up like I’m gonna explode–Cuz she’s saying–She’s saying with her eyes and her face and her whole self–“I know,” I say back to her, my voice husky. “Me, too.”And then I turn to the Mayor and I’m filled with her, with her love for me and my love for her–And it makes me big as an effing mountain–And I take it and I slam all of it into the Mayor–”

“Okay, my man, in a minute you are gonna hear a bunch of shit that’s gonna knock your socks off. So, two seconds to prepare, Ivey is my best friend, outside you my only real one, as you know. What you don’t know, she is not my lover. She’s my friend. And I’m gay. You tell anyone, I’ll shoot you and you know I’m not fucking with you about that. Deal with it. We gotta move on, like, now.”