Elizabeth Langston

I think it must be one of those things where no one__ wrong and everybody loses.

Strange how knowing our story had no happy ending had freed us to live in the moment. We weren__ guy and girl. We weren__ damaged and terminal. We were just now.

Why did things have to get so backwards in our house? Since she couldn__ be the adult, I knew that it had to be me. But that didn__ stop me from hating it--from wishing it was just over. I__ give anything to be a kid again and not to be the responsible one in the house. It was like I was trapped in a horrible virtual-reality game, except there was no way for me to quit.

My mother sat motionless at the kitchen table, her head cradled on one arm, the other extended toward her ever-present coffee mug. This was going to be another of her bad days. It was hard to pinpoint when I__ given up hope that she would pull herself together--that me being in charge would be a temporary thing. But too many months had passed with nothing changing, except somewhere along the way I__ stopped feeling sympathy for her. Or anger. It was easier to not feel anything where my mother was concerned because then I could never be let down.

A book was mere paper splattered with ink until a reader__ mind gave it life.

Have you ever experienced human love?___es. Once.__egret shadowed his face. __hen why would you be willing to repeat it?___hat we learn is worth more than what we lose.

We could__e been a still photo, the kind from a booth at the mall where two dollars went in and a strip of three shots came out. Our image wasn__ the first shot, the one that was always frantic and unfocused. It wasn__ the second shot either--laughing and silly. No, this was the final image--the serious shot--where the couple realized they wanted a good picture to remember the moment by and couldn__ afford to screw the last one up.

I knew a sudden shyness. There was a look on his face, a stillness to his body that had never been there before. Though I couldn__ give the emotion a name, I felt it, too. We had something special. Something hard to define. Something past friendship.__ must go now,_ I said and rose up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, marveling at its velvet skin. __hank you for the book.__e drew me into his embrace and sighed. __hank you for the stars.

Obviously, genies worked out in their off-hours. He looked so good it was distracting.

I loved her in ways I understood, full of physical aches and the need to be near her whenever I could. But I also loved her in ways that were unfamiliar, with an intensity that made me willing to attempt the impossible.

What is the verdict?___here is always hope._ His face softened. __owever, it__ unlikely your brain damage will improve.__e__ given me the answer I__ expected and dreaded.I shut my eyes and sagged into the pillows. I__ braced myself for this result, but I__ wanted a miracle so badly that it was painful to hear the truth.Sunlight pressed in on me, trying to cheer me up. I would resist a moment longer. This room, the quilt, my closed eyes__hey formed a serene barrier against the world, although it wasn__ clear to me if I wanted to keep the scary stuff out or the scared me in.

Friend. Before Mark, I__ known its definition. Now I knew its meaning.

May I kiss you?__inally. __es.__e smiled as he threaded his fingers through my hair. Carefully, he leaned forward and kissed my forehead.His mouth was warm and gentle against my skin, but it wasn__ enough. __lease tell me that wasn__ what you meant.__e laughed softly. __here__ more._ He kissed my cheek, my jaw, and hovered a fraction above my mouth.I ached for his kiss, and when the waiting stretched too long, I closed the distance.He took over, which was just as well, because I forgot where I was or the time or my name. The only thing in the world was his mouth. That kiss. Us.

His arm slid around my shoulders and drew me to him. It was odd, sitting there under the veil of darkness, watching the neighborhood settle down. Lamps burned in windows. TVs flickered. A few houses down, the rhythmic thud of a basketball on concrete and muffled laughter alerted us to the only other people outside on this glorious fall night.__his is a perfect date,_ I said.He tensed. __ou__ call it a date?___ure. You wouldn__?__e looked down at me, his eyes glittering in the faint light. __ thought American girls liked more formality in a date.___ore money is what you mean._ I smiled. __t__ a date. Don__ argue with me.___ never do.

There it was again, that strange sensation. Sort of floaty. Completely lovely. __hy aren__ we kissing yet?___he same question had crossed my mind._ He leaned closer and pressed his lips to mine.I could never get enough of this sweet, crazy kissing. How did anyone ever get anything done when they were falling in love?

Thanks for driving me home, Mason. And for dinner. And_everything.___ou__e welcome._ His hand cupped my shoulder, his face in the shadows. __as this a date?___o.__is smile was a slash of white in the darkness. __hen you__e not expecting me to kiss you good-night.___o._ I smiled back.__oo bad.

I need to do something about college, but I__ not sure what.___here have you decided to apply?___owhere yet. Any time I think about the schools I__e visited, I feel overwhelmed. The campuses are so big that I know I__l get lost. I dread making new friends. And the professors acted too busy to deal with someone like me. My parents will be wasting a huge amount of money.___our fears are no different than most high school seniors._ He studied me thoughtfully. __ust you go to college?__ opened my mouth to say Of course, I must__nd then shut it again. The concept didn__ bother me nearly as much as it should have. Skipping college would be crazy. Right? It was hard enough for a disabled person to find a job, but being disabled with no degree would make it hopeless. __ don__ have a choice.___erhaps you have more choices than you realize.