“I walk without flinching through the burning cathedral of the summer. My bank of wild grass is majestic and full of music. It is a fire that solitude presses against my lips.”

“The world is on fire, I thought wildly. See it burn and oh, my God, it burns for us.”

“I pressed my lips against his shirt. “When I think about my future I see you.”

“He presses against me and gently whispers in my ear, “Can’t you see I’m crazy about you?”I whip around, “You’re crazy about a lot of girls.” I say letting the pain cut through my voice. Ben flinches from my words, “No Megan, just you.”

“I walked up to the window, raised my palm and pressed it against the pane. It left a bloodied handprint. Through the red shape—my red flag, my riot sign—I could see Neil staring at me.”

“It was all I could do to keep from lunging across the table and pressing my shuttering lips against his burning flesh. My palms were sweating profusely causing me to have to wipe them against my jeans under the table. Those last few seconds had felt like a lifetime in pause.”