“People come and go, in and out of each other’s lives like it’s nothing. So I don’t know how/why this should be a big deal.”

“So why haven’t you called?” I ask her now.She looks uncomfortable. “I told you,” she says, twirling the end of her braid around her finger. “School stuff.”“Bullshit.” She looks at me and opens her mouth, probably to lie again. But then she changes her mind. “I didn’t know what to say.” Her voice catches, so I know she’s telling the truth. “And besides, you didn’t call me, either.” “Because you didn’t call me!” Doesn’t she know that the person who got kicked out of school (me) doesn’t have to call the one who didn’t(her)? She should have called to check up on me, to see how I was doing. She should have come over with lemonades and ice cream, keeping me company, helping me nurse my broken heart. That’s what best friends do. It’s so common it’s cliché.”

“[at the hospital]"What do you think's taking them so long?"[...]"Well," I say "They obviously don't think it's a big deal or they would have carted you right back here.""Or," Lacey says, "they probably know I'm going to die and so they're leaving me out here because they need to help the people who actually have a chance.""Lacey," I say. "Did you see them bringing in the guys who was bleeding profusely from the head?""Yes," she says."If that guy has a chance, then you definitely do.”

“I kind of like that she gave me a little bit of attitude. I mean, she's obviously super apologetic and she knows it's a horrible situation, and she's definitely nervous I might flip the fuck out on her, but she doesn't seem embarrassed. It's more like she thinks shit happens, and I should deal with it. I can respect that.”

“I’m too quiet. But I’m really not quiet. I just tend to come across that way to new people because I don’t like to talk first.”

“I remember how Sebastian and I met in study hall, how the first time I saw him he was reading Pride and Prejudice, and how I thought that was really sexy. Of course, I would come to find later that it was the only book he'd read, like, ever, and the only reason he was reading it was to impress some college girl he'd met at a party the weekend before. That should have been a sign that maybe he and I weren't going to be the best match.”

“So what now?" I ask when I finally pull away. I bury my head in his shoulder, not sure I want to know the answer.But when I look at him, his face is surprised, like it should be obvious. "Now," he says. "We figure it out together.”