She was my entire reason for showing up here every day, and that was no longer enough.

Walking backwards toward my classroom door, I said, “Don’t spiral, Lavely.” She just nodded. It was too late.

“You know, I really want to try a slice of their pumpkin cheesecake, but it looks huge. I could never finish it myself. Do you want to split one?” “Abso-fucking-lutely.”

“Full moon on the day after Halloween,” Owen said, high-fiving one of his students as she made her way past him. “We’re in for it, Ms. Lavely.” “You know what, Mr. Gardner?” I asked, tucking my hair behind my ears. He and I always addressed each other formally in front of the students. “I actually have a good feeling about it this time. It’s going

It’s not like I wasn’t guilty of the same thing with Sarah a mere ten seconds ago, but Eli’s lack of subtlety was almost comical.

I was still processing the traumatic ending of Bridge to Terabithia years after the fact. That kind of stuff was better left to Sarah, anyway.

Of all the teachers I could work across the hallway from, I’d ended up with the woman who gave inanimate objects personalities and cried when she watched videos about ducklings looking for their mom. I was already so lucky.

Owen shook his head, sinking his fork into the cheesecake for another bite. “I guess I literally repel women now,” he said. “I’m really letting Ava Greentree down.” I laughed. Ava was a student in Owen’s class, and she was always asking him if he had a girlfriend yet—usually followed up by a “why not?” Once, she even asked me if I was Owen’s

All I could think about was the way Sarah’s eyes twinkled when she looked up in mine and how good it felt when she shoved my side. Every time she touched me, it ignited something within me, spreading a warmth through my entire body. I wanted more than anything to grab Sarah and hold her in my arms; to know what it felt like to be the person she