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didn’t say anything, not wanting to talk about it.
    “Sam! Answer me. You’re still gonna date him when you go to Stanford, right?”
    “I don’t know. I mean, how is that gonna work, Allie? I’ll be halfway across the country. And I’ll only be home during breaks.”
    Allie looked shocked. “Are you serious? You’re telling me you’re gonna break up with him? You’re not even gonna try to make it work?”
    “Because it won’t work. Long distance relationships never work. Everyone knows that.”
    “Uh, no. They work all the time, especially when it’s people like you and Colin.”
    “Colin will go to college and meet someone else. He’s hot. He’s good at sports. He’s funny. He’s nice to everyone.”
    “Yeah. And he’s yours. He always will be.”
    “Allie, be real. He’s 18. I’m 17. We’re high school sweethearts. It’s not like we’re gonna get married. I don’t want to get married until I’m at least 30.”
    “So if the right guy comes along before that, you’re just gonna tell him to get lost?”
    “Well, yeah. I need my twenties to finish school, get my Ph.D., get a good job.”
    “Just because you’ve had that plan since you were like, 12, doesn’t mean it can’t change, Sam. Come on, you’re not really gonna tell Colin that it’s over, are you?”
    I didn’t respond.
    Allie got angry. “Well, when is this happening? He’s my friend, too. I have a right to know.”
    “I don’t know yet. And it’s not like I’m gonna tell him that we’re never gonna talk to each other again. It’s more like I’ll tell him that I want us to stay friends, just not date.”
    “So you’re gonna give him the ‘let’s still be friends’ line? Seriously?”  
    She waited for me to answer but I stayed quiet.
    “You know, I’m really kind of mad at you right now, Sam. Why would you do something like that to him? He loves you. And I’m not just saying that. He’s told me that himself. And he would do anything for you. Anything! Do you know how rare that is?”
    “Yeah, but the timing is all wrong, Allie. If I was like, 29 or 30, and we were dating, then . . .”
    “Stop worrying about your stupid timeline!” she yelled at me. “What is wrong with you? Colin is here now. And if you dump him, he’s not gonna be sitting around waiting for you to turn 30.”
    “You don’t have to get mad at me.”
    “I just don’t want to see you make a mistake you’ll regret because of some stupid plan of yours. Or some fear that your relationship won’t last when you move to California.”
    “It’s not just me. I’m sure he’s thinking the same thing. He knows we won’t keep dating when we go to college.”
    Allie rolled her eyes. “Are you living on the same planet as the rest of us, Sam? My God, the guy is totally and completely in love with you. There’s no way he’s thinking that.”
    “But—”
    “And your parents love him,” Allie interrupted. “That alone should be enough of a reason for you to stay with him. You always try to please your parents.”
    “That’s not true!” I protested.  
    “Oh, please, don’t get me started. Just tell me that you’ll think about this some more before you say anything to Colin.”
    “I will.”
    “You do love him, Sam, don’t you? Because if you don’t, then that’s a whole different story.”
    I hesitated. “Well, I think I do. I guess I’m not sure. I mean, he’s my best friend so . . .”
    “Well, I’ve never been in love, but I think if you loved him, you would know.”
    After our talk that day, I knew that Allie was right. I hadn’t given my future with Colin enough thought. College was still many months away, but if I was really breaking up with him, I needed to let him know sooner rather than later.  

CHAPTER FOUR
Midnight
    Allie and I hung out the rest of the morning. She quickly got over being mad at me when the topic changed to her telling me all about some guy she met on the plane coming home.
    “He goes to