Z'S

TER

ly arrived

ped off the plane

actual

g in bed drea

d for years was finall

place where I belie

rowd through the

ce was

esigner suitcases, trailing e

g moved s

er than G

bag and chec

ouldn't stop staring

my thoughts for

phone and slipped it

s a fre

to choo

leave the

e and headed toward

off the escalator, my

n't recognize

bered what the

been six years old the

ned th

en

rly j

e, waving a large sign as th

recogni

. Al

ried to

grown up my l

ks before pulling m

that she still

own so muc

as she admi

hed aw

forgot how anx

n stood b

Al

ctly the way

Ale

ok hi

didn't n

iled

to New Yo

o finally ha

for letti

nse

a hand di

re fa

inside m

me since arrivin

my luggage and whee

lexis

who came

h

immediate

spread acro

ned a

few feet aw

y brain simply

en of him had already convin

t

ridiculousl

as t

mus

ders were

ntioned that

jersey, and his dark, messy

llowe

eyes

wa

oked

smi

reet

th

ween us felt pa

llo to your cousin, Ke

H

was cold a

ied to lighten the mood by

ome was un

Alexis desperately tried to

the one answering

ely sai

d on the basketbal

I caught him

ooked at him,

indifferen

ork looked exactly the wa

ng bui

ht s

ed st

ing fel

Green

I had felt earl

inking about Dan's

rcedes turned towa

s required be

en anything li

y jaw

ansion was u

ont of the house, surrounded

e like a luxury hote

oa

is smiled

enz. I hope it's

ou

he se

ned that I would one day

than enou

stepped ins

liers hung fro

tood in the cen

ss the house, and expensive

looked

rried my lugg

you

smi

his room espec

you s

s impressive as th

anity mirror and an

to the mattress a

nbelieva

n something that felt mo

as directly

npacking when someon

is steppe

Dinner will be rea

ka

to leave

and K

Mrs. A

an's attitude

row

sk what she mean

r, I walked into

r than most

space jus

people we

bbing his chest

ked ex

ded from the pock

seemed fascinated by m

the plan now that

g classes ne

derf

lexis

t to see what

mained

elt as though my pre

uched your food,"

's wr

fine,

ing to

exis f

tting la

m f

I saw Dan headin

ked ex

h he had pushed

t, but I suddenly ha

m disappear

eard a l

ward the

ying on t

gled to

ly dropped

nt, panic

ed myself t

your breathi

ggled t

inhal

bed it and han

his breath

al, he becam

m f

ed my ha

t g

gh everything I

ly sto

t the wall, br

toward

en

ed imme

me he had said my n

es

the floor for

my parents

her puff fro

odd

want to b

that asthma was the le