AHall80: Heh

AHall80: I put my underwear on inside out once.

RubyMars: Once.

RubyMars: Get out.

AHall80: :]

RubyMars: Want a new joke? It’s been a while.

AHall80: Sure

RubyMars: What has four wheels and flies?

RubyMars: A garbage truck.

AHall80: They’re so bad they’re good.

RubyMars: I know!

AHall80: :]

RubyMars: I bought my plane ticket to go see my dad.

AHall80: Yeah? When?

RubyMars: July 8th, I’m going for a week.

AHall80: Nice

AHall80: I gotta go. I just wanted to get on real quick and say hi.

RubyMars: Sure. :) RubyMars: Be safe.

AHall80: Bye.

RubyMars: Bye.

May 27, 2009

AHall80: I’m leaving really soon.

RubyMars: Really?

AHall80: Really for real.

RubyMars: !!!!!

AHall80: :]

RubyMars: Okay. Have a safe flight.

AHall80: It’s going to suck, but it’ll be worth it.

RubyMars: Is Ax travelling back with you guys?

AHall80: Yeah, my CO… commanding officer… is taking her home.

RubyMars: I’m so happy.

RubyMars: Really, have a safe flight, and just in case I don’t talk to you again, I really enjoyed getting to know you. Give Aries a big hug from me and enjoy your trip to Scotland and Florida. If you ever decide to open a Facebook account, post pictures on it some day, and if I send you a request, accept it. Or don’t. :) AHall80: I’ll e-mail you soon.

RubyMars: Good luck :) Have a safe flight.

AHall80: Thanks, Rubes.

AHall80: Hold up a sec

AHall80: I hope you know you’re the best person I’ve ever been paired with. This tour would’ve been a whole lot shittier without you.

AHall80: I’m sorry for what happened at the beginning…

RubyMars: Don’t worry about it. It’s in the past and I understand.

AHall80: Still feel like shit about it.

RubyMars: You made up for it already. Don’t think twice about it. I get it.

RubyMars: We worked it out.

RubyMars: For whatever it matters, I’m glad you ended up writing me back in the end. These last few months would’ve sucked without you too. Thanks for being there for me with everything.

RubyMars: You really did become my favorite friend.

RubyMars: I’ll always remember you.

AHall80: Don’t think twice about it.

RubyMars: I won’t.

AHall80: I will write you when I get back to base in Kentucky. I’m not going to fall off the face of the planet.

AHall80: Promise RubyMars: If you say so, but don’t feel obligated if you don’t want to. You don’t owe me anything.

AHall80: I owe you a lot more than you think.

AHall80: Not just going to forget you, come on.

AHall80: Hey, what happened with that guy you went on a date with? Your brother’s friend? Not the one I don’t like.

RubyMars: Nothing. We went to the movies. Then he invited me over to his house another day for a barbecue. He’s been out of town for about two weeks now. He’s supposed to get back in a few days, but we’ve only texted.

AHall80: I see

RubyMars: :) I like him, but it isn’t love at first sight or anything.

RubyMars: I know you need to go but have a good flight and enjoy your plumbing.

RubyMars: One last thing AHall80: Okay

RubyMars: Make sure to eat plenty of fiber so you can finally poop

Ahall80: BYE RUBY

RubyMars: Xoxo

May

“You did what?”

I hung my head in shame and—for one more freaking time—let the humiliation roll over my face, neck, chest, and my entire soul.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.

I was so stupid.

“Squirt,” my sister cackled, her shoulders shaking as she sank deep into the cushioned seat of the booth the hostess of the diner had led us to fifteen minutes ago. The clinging and clacking of plates and silverware swallowed most of her laughs, but I’d heard her crack up enough over the course of my life to know exactly what it sounded like from memory. Except usually she laughed at Jonathan or Sebastian, not me.

The problem was, there was laughing your butt off so much you made a spectacle of yourself, and then there was laughing so hard no sound came out of your mouth.

And Anatalia, or Ana or Tali as we all called her, was exactly right smack in the middle of both. It was like her body couldn’t decide what it wanted to do. Laugh or not laugh.

“You didn’t,” she basically gasped.

I stared at her as I dragged the glass of iced water toward me by the coaster. My face went red, red, red as I remembered for about the hundredth time the unforgiveable, unforgettable crap I’d typed as my last message to Aaron.

Xoxo.

X-freaking-oxo.

Ugh. Ugh, ugh, ugh.

For the rest of my life. For the rest of the universe’s existence. Forever.

Tali’s eyes bulged and her face turned a shade of red that bordered on maroon. Her hands went up to her chest and the entire upper half of her body molded to the booth’s back cushion like she was attempting to melt into it. Like she was reliving what I’d done in her head and wanted to disappear. I knew that expression. I’d tried to do the same thing after I’d hit Enter on the keyboard. I’d wanted a black hole to suck me in and make me disappear.