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because Trent would nonchalantly take hold of my hand and grin at me underwater. And because our bodies would keep touching, ever so slightly, almost like a whisper or a promise of what was to come. My body very much wanted to know what was to come; yearned for it. My brain, not so much. It was apparent though, that at some point I had decided to quit listening to my brain, just this once, and allow things to happen naturally.
    Our time under water was over too soon. While my friends speared, I tried to concentrate on the book I had brought but my thoughts kept going back to Trent. And the warmth that lingered over my skin in the places he had touched. I wondered how long it would take for his warmth to spread into more dangerous territories and take hold of my heart. It wasn’t something I longed for, but felt its inevitable pull.
    Although I couldn’t find the focus to read my book, I stared at the words, trying to make sense out of them. I only looked up to see my friends climb back on the boat, animated from their hunt and eventual kills. I smiled at them and their words but wasn’t fully content until I leaned into Trent’s broad shoulders as we made our way back to land. Recognizing the song playing from Jermaine’s mp3 player, I quietly hummed along to It Hurts to be Alone and hoped Bob Marley’s words weren’t some sort of premonition.

Chapter 7
    Shayna
    After changing her diaper, Nate held up his baby doll triumphantly. She watched him and felt herself smile before she could stop herself. She didn’t want to hide her smile, but wasn’t sure she should smile at him. He’d taken her away from Momma.
    She would never see Momma again, she had come to realize. People didn’t come back from Heaven. Why would they, when they could become angels? Beautiful, with wings that could take them anywhere they wanted. And Momma didn’t want to go to her because she was a nasty girl; too loud, too needy, too dumb.
    Her Momma living in Heaven made her sad, but if she were honest with herself, her Momma living with her in their home also made her sad. She should be happy where she lived now. It had been a long time since anyone had yelled at her or hit her. But it wasn’t her home.
    Nate told her she’d go home soon. To a sister that she wanted to tell him didn’t exist.

Chapter 8
    Erin
    Just as quickly as it started, our winter break was over, leaving us wanting more. In class, I already missed the lack of responsibilities school breaks offered us. Really only an illusion, but missed nonetheless.
    We spent the remainder of our break in Key West, Camilla and I comfortably cramped in Dave’s apartment, sleeping on inflatable beds spread across the living room floor. Our days consisted of nothing more than relaxing on the beach while our nights were endless parties. We followed Dave and the rest of the band from venue to venue. Sometimes Trent joined them on stage, but most of the time he sat with me. And flirted relentlessly.
    I thought about Key West and Trent as the professor droned on. I tried to pay attention, I really did, but my brain was elsewhere. I wished I could say I was thinking about registering for the NCLEX-RN exam after graduation, but I wasn’t. I wasn’t even thinking about the internship I’d be starting tomorrow. Nope, my brain was completely engrossed in Key West and Trent, but mostly just Trent. How frustrating.
    After class I made my way to the lunch hall to meet up with Camilla. She had already bought our personal pizzas from the local pizza joint and was sitting outside sipping her soda. With a dramatic sigh I sat down next to her and opened up my pizza box, immediately salivating.
    “School sucks,” Camilla greeted me.
    “For losers,” I agreed between bites.
    “What’s the game plan for tonight?”
    I shrugged my shoulders. “I wanna have sex.”
    “Okay,” Camilla nodded at me. “But shouldn’t you guys kiss first?”
    “Probably,” I agreed. “How do I get him to do