“So how did you think about him? Rachel asks.Hallelujah shrugs. We were friends. Good friends. He knewknowsa lot about me. I guess I know a lot about him. Stuff he likes and doesnt like.Rachel looks...”

“After a few minutes, she speaks up again. Youre next. Sing.Anxiety grips Hallelujahs chest, squeezing. I dont sing, she says.Cmon, it doesnt matter if youre bad. Its not like this is a concert hall...”

“I hate him. She repeats it louder. I hate him! She shouts it at the sky, even though its hard to shout lying down: I! Hate! Luke! Willis!Rachel asks, But what did he do?Hallelujah can hear Jonah wa...”

“Luke said that he was surprised when I showed up at his room. That he hadnt meant to give me the wrong idea. That he would never have taken it beyond just kissing. And he looked so genuine. So trus...”

“So what was Jonah like before high school? As a kid?As a kid? Hallelujah brings up the picture in her mind. He was . . . sweet, I guess. Dorky. Hed wear these outfits his mom picked outpleated khak...”

“Hes looking at her with so much compassion. Like he knows what shes going through. Like he cares about her. This is what she wanted to see after everything happened with Luke. Instead, she saw Jona...”

“After a few minutes, she speaks up again. Youre next. Sing.Anxiety grips Hallelujahs chest, squeezing. I dont sing, she says.Cmon, it doesnt matter if youre bad. Its not like this is a concert hall...”

“After a few minutes, she speaks up again. “You’re next. Sing.”Anxiety grips Hallelujah’s chest, squeezing. “I don’t sing,” she says.“C’mon, it doesn’t matter if you’re bad. It’s not like this is a ...”

“Jonah shifts to lean back a little farther, moaning as he does. “Holy heck, my leg hurts,” he says, still with that strained, forced lightness.Again, Hallelujah mimics his tone. “‘Holy heck’? That’...”

“here she is, all mine, trying her best to give me all she can. How could I ever hurt her? But I didnt understand then. That I could hurt somebody so badly she would never recover. That a person can...”

“Any happiness, no matter how brief, seemed better than the long, simmering torture of waking up day after day, knowing I could never have him.”

“Everyone always wants to know how you can tell when it's true love, and the answer is this: when the pain doesn't fade and the scars don't heal, and it's too damned late.”