“He reached for my hand, looking sad. “Don’t get hurt, Buttercup.” I shrugged. “Life hurts. As long as it doesn’t kill us, we weather it.”

“Life hurts.  As long as it doesn’t kill us, we weather it.”

“He was hurting, and I hurt with him. We had never been able to maintain any level of detachment from each other’s suffering, and wedidn’t now.”

“I elbowed James as he shot my army guy in the head yet again. “This game is so sexist,” I complained. “I can’t believe that there isn’t even an option for me to play as a girl.” “Do you think that if you were playing as a busty blonde it would distract me?” James asked, amused. “It couldn’t hurt.” He tossed his controller on the ground. I gave a little embarrassing shriek as he tossed me over his shoulder. “We’re done, guys. Buttercup wants to distract me. Consider me distracted.”

“Somebody is smitten with my Buttercup.”

“As you wish, Buttercup.”

“Don’t leave us again, Lana,” he whispered roughly. “Don’t leave me. Stay. Please.”