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beginning.
    It was beautiful, the way the sun glistened across the golden hues of my orange blush. I admired it. It was so simple. I had wiped some excess onto my hand in a mad rush. Merek was on his way. I didn’t want him to ring the bell or anything. Avoiding Grandpapa seemed to be the path of least resistance. It was 7 p.m. and the sun was still out. That was the mark of summer. I walked past the iron gates. I strolled along the side of the road. I nestled in a patch of neatly trimmed green hedges.
    I closed my eyes just for a moment. The sun’s rays showered my face with warmth. I was excited, yet somewhat confused. Noel was on the forefront of my mind. I could recall the last day I saw him as if it were merely hours ago. I’d been holding onto his words for so long. We were in his dorm room. He sat on his bed. I sat at his computer desk in front ofthe window. The sun’s rays showered over me, much like they did on this day. We were talking about our dreams. Back then, I wanted to become an archeologist or a cardiologist. I didn’t know what had gotten into me—a little too much Jurassic Park or Grey’s Anatomy .
    â€œI don’t know when I can come back to see you,” I signed.
    â€œWhy did you take your dad’s car? If he finds out, it could be months,” Noel signed.
    I didn’t realize then that months would turn into years. I climbed onto the bed into his arms. We kissed. I could remember the way he smelled, so distinctly. It wasn’t a cologne or a soap. It was just him.
    â€œI love you forever,” he signed.
    At the thought of him, I opened my eyes. And like that, he was gone.
    Merek had pulled up. He looked at me curiously. I had to admit I was curious about him. My heart belonged to Noel, though the news of the morning had me questioning my steadfast loyalty. He got out of his gray two-door hatchback. He opened my passenger door. I had to admit his car was kind of Noel-esque.
    â€œHi, princess. Tell me, what are you doing?” he asked.
    I shrugged. “Here’s the address.” I handed him a pink Post-it.
    â€œI watched you,” he said.
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œYou texted to meet you out front. When I pulled up, I didn’t see you. So … I creeped up a little more and this is when I found you. What were you doing?” he asked me.
    â€œWhat did you see?”
    â€œYou standing with your eyes closed, sunbathing,” he said.
    I laughed. I was a little embarrassed.
    â€œI like that smile,” he said.
    â€œWhat if I said I liked your smile?” Uh! I always did that when boys gave me compliments! I said the same compliment right back. Geez. His smile got even wider. Like that, the past melted away like a piece of butterscotch candy. All gone, not a trace, not even a wrapper.

Chapter 4 SH Party
    With my heels on, I was just slightly taller than Merek. I stood up tall and took a deep breath. He slowly took hold of my hand. I pulled it back. I only held hands with one guy. I caught my reflection in the glass door. I looked as if he’d just tried to choke me. It was right then that I realized I was in over my head.
    The house was beautiful. It was tan, built with tons of light birchwood and sleek steel. There were floor-to-ceiling windows all over the first floor. The DJ was out on the patio, a few yards from the Olympic-size pool. Our house was much more country, no pool. We did have a huge lot. It was a pretty good way to get far away into nature. Half our lot was full of trees. Cara’s house was much more modern with less of a nature vibe.
    As soon as we hit the door, smiles were on. I noticed Merek kept looking at me since I pulled my hand away. I was actually looking forward to the distraction of the party. I couldn’t move any faster. And I hoped he wasn’t going to pen me up against the wall about it. I spotted Sierra. Without thinking, I started walking toward her. She had on a fabulous skintight