“I seered, burning lovedisappearforever.”

“I see you.Because in you,I see me.”

“Was it hard?” I ask.“Letting go?”“Not as hard as holding on to something thatwasn’t real.”I gulp. “Can I ask how you did it?”“I just decided, Ava.That’s all.I just decided.”

“I journeyed to a place where it's always raining cupcakes. I didn't need a passport, but I met a lot of interesting people and experienced new things. Even though the trip was a little bumpy, I got there just fine.”

“How many days was I like that? Pretending to listen, but not hearing a word? Pretending to care when I hated it all? Pretending to live when I was dying inside?”

“Today there's no one here, so I find a rock and open my notebookfilled with letters to Lucca,reading them,noticing how the lettersdecreased in frequencyover the past couple of months.When i started,shortly after he died,I wrote them every day.I hurt so bad, I wanted to scream,but I couldn't,so my words on the pagebecame a diary of the pain.”

“But repaying a debtmeans giving up things.Making sacrifices.If I sacrifice my heartfor Jackson,will I be deadtoo?”