E.Lockhart

I never went home with him, never saw his life, never knew that person Gat was when not on Beechwood Island.

Couldn’t. Couldn’t. Wouldn’t.

It doesn’t matter if one of us is desperately, desperately in love.

So much

in love

If you want to live where people are not afraid of mice, you must give up living in palaces.

Gat hasn’t quite looked at me, though.

I can’t stop looking at him.

I am so angry. And so happy to see him.

I don’t know how to talk to him.

I love him.

He’s been an ass.

“What happened to the little blond girls who used to run around this place?”

Mummy sighs. “We grew up, Dad,” she says. “We grew up.”

Mirren pauses. Then she says: “Be a little kinder than you have to.”

We are all silenced by that. It seems impossible to argue with.

Then Johnny says, “Never eat anything bigger than your ass.”

“You know what’s terrifying?” Gat says, not looking at me. “What’s terrifying is he’s turned out to be right.”