I’ve never had a boyfriend or anything close. I didn’t go out much.

There was no rational explanation for how I was alive at this moment.

My subconscious had dredged up exactly the images I’d been trying so desperately to avoid. I was going to have to face them now.

The shattering beats made it impossible for me to think — which was the whole purpose of the exercise.

But I really did like Jacob. He was someone I could easily be friends with.

I tried to make my smile alluring, wondering if I was laying it on too thick. He smiled back, though, looking allured.

He flashed a brilliant smile, looking at me appreciatively in a way I was learning to recognize.

It does great in a collision.

It was like the first day of school all over again.

All I caught was that one of the girls was also named Jessica, and the boy who noticed me was named Jacob.