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T-shirt, causing tiny, dark blue spots to appear across his chest.
I wanted to freeze us in time, like one of those museum displays that Holden Caulfield was so fixated
on, or seal the two of us off from the world with plexiglass like Thomas Edison s desk.
I was about to tell him I loved him, too, that I didn t need to go, that we could both stay right there
at home forever and ever, amen. It could be so easy for us to just decide to stay right where we were,
loving each other for the rest of our lives.
We don t have to say goodbye.
But the words caught in my throat and I didn t say anything.
He kissed the top of my head and asked, But I want you to promise me something, okay?
My eyes were spilling over and I could barely breathe, but I managed to ask, What s that?
He put his hands on either side of my face, looked right into my eyes and said, Be happy. Wherever
you wind up. And know that I ll be thinking of you, wherever I am. At that, he bent his face to mine
and I let him kiss me for the last time.
Oh, the drama! Is there anything so powerful as the love of two teenagers being ripped apart?
He tore his mouth from mine and shook his head, defeated. I can t do this. It s too hard.
He reached into his truck through the open window and pulled out a pale blue envelope. He placed it
in my hands before swiping his thumb across my dampened cheek, his knuckles grazing my neck. I
was trying to think of something to say, some memorable, monumental, perfect parting words.
But for some reason, I found a smile cracking through my tears, and the words that left my lips
were, Stay gold, Ponyboy.
At first, Trip looked at me stunned, like he couldn t believe I was being so blasphemous as to make
light of such a serious situation. But then, he started to smile too, a beautiful, final, charming grin, just
for me.
After he d gone, I watched, too depleted to be emotional as his truck drove down my street for the
final time. I looked down at the envelope in my hand and decided to go have a seat in the backyard to
open it.
When I did, the first thing I saw was a picture of Trip and me from graduation, the one his father had
taken when Trip had scooped me into his arms. I looked at the smiling faces in the image, smirking to
myself when I remembered how later in that evening, we d shared our first kiss.
The photograph had been sandwiched by a piece of folded looseleaf notebook paper, and I
recognized what I was holding immediately. I couldn t believe that I d finally gotten my hands on
Trip s Mind Ramble from our very first week in English class together.
I put the picture across my lap and unfolded his note.
Hey Dummy. What are you working on in art class? You missed Rymer blow Coke out his nose at lunch
today. Although, something tells me that s not the first time that s ever happened.
Shit. Mason wants a mind ramble.
Romeo was a complete tool who had no balls. Which is it? Rosaline or Juliet? Make up your mind
dude.
Okay forget this. I can t write about stupid Shakespeare when you re sitting two inches away from me
and I can smell your hair. Coconut? Smells like summer. Okay so I just caught the look you shot me
over your shoulder and you need to know that I can t even breathe right now. I haven t even known
you that long but from the first time I saw you, I ve been knocked out by how hot you are. No. You
know what? Not just hot.
You re beautiful.
The kind of beautiful that doesn t go away. Do you even know how beautiful you are? Christ. Stop
looking at me! Killing me. Do you know what that does to me? Seeing you look at me like you re half
in love with me? Are you? If I write it does it make it true? So let it be written, so let it be done. Haha.
Anyway, mind ramble mind ramble mind ramble.
The only thing rambling through my mind is how much I want to grab you out of that chair and kiss
you right now. Kiss you the way you need to be kissed- and kiss you often.
Oh God I must sound like such a loser. By the way, if anyone s reading this, I should state right here
that MY NAME IS SONNY AETINE. There. Nothing to hide.
Nothing to hide? Okay fine. Here it is.
I could be in love you.
There it is. I wrote it.
I ll write it again.
I really think I could be in love with you.
Oh man, I m going to have to burn this thing so no one gets their hands on it. Especially those wiseguy
friends of yours. That Cooper guy seems like he s ready to murder me whenever you look my way. No
way I m going to get on THAT guy s bad side my first week in town.
Guess I ll wait it out.
The letter ended there along with the last grip on my life as I knew it.
Trip loved me.
I held the paper to my chest, expecting a sobbing fit to come again, waiting for an all-consuming
blubbering outburst to overtake my wasted soul. I d shed more tears in the past weeks than I had in my
entire life, but there was nothing left to cry about.
I thought about the people that I had loved in my life and the never-ending list of people that had left
it. Everyone both here and gone... from my mother, to my family, to my friends.
I thought about Cooper, who d loved me unconditionally, practically from the day that we had met.
Who cured my hurts and built me up and never asked for anything in return.
I thought about Lisa, probably somewhere in Ohio by then, striking out and starting over with
Pickford in a place so very far away. Lisa, who I shared everything with, who d been in my life for so
long, I could hardly remember a time before her. Lisa; my partner in crime, my role model, my sister,
my friend.
I thought about Trip; my beautiful, blue-eyed, golden-haired god, getting ready to hop a plane to
who knows, living a life of adventure, and taking me with him wherever he went in the world.
I carved out little spaces within my heart; little, lovely mausoleums where I could lock each and
every one of them away inside, keep the memories safe and close to me forever.
And then it was time to go.
About the Author:
T. Torrest is the author of many books, although she prays that only a handful of them will ever see
the light of day. She was a child of the eighties, but has since traded in her Rubik s Cube for a laptop,
and her catholic school uniform for a comfy pair of yoga pants. Ms. Torrest is a lifelong Jersey Girl...
She currently resides there with her husband and two boys.
A Note from the Author:
I want to thank you for reading my story! I m working very hard to finish Remember When II: the
Sequel , which should be completed by June 2013 (Flip the page for a preview). If you enjoyed this
book, I ask that you tell your friends, loan it out, and please, please leave a review.
Friend me on facebook or follow me on goodreads.com. I love hearing from readers! Lastly, if you d
like to drop me a personal message, my email is: ttorrest@optonline.net I always do my best to write
back!
Thank you.
Preview Chapter
Excerpt from Remember When: the Sequel
PART TWO
2000
I made myself eat breakfast that morning, but it was difficult to do with my stomach so tied up in
knots.
It had been one week since I found out Trip was in New York, five days since I finagled a press pass
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