Chapter 1: The Distance Between Us

I worked desperately to get into the top AP science class—just to be near Caleb! My hands shook every time I saw him in the hallway, like my nerves were plugged into a live wire.

I still remember the long nights hunched over flashcards at the kitchen table, the blue glow of my laptop making everything feel unreal. But for Caleb, the only person who seemed to matter was the pretty girl sitting next to him.

In half a year, the only thing he ever said to me was:

"Hey, uh… do you have a tampon for Aubrey?"

That line echoed in my head for months. So I tore up my diary, filled with secret crushes, and stopped trailing after him like a little shadow! The paper crumpled in my fists, ink smearing under my sweaty palms, each page a tiny funeral for hope.

Years later, at a class reunion in Toledo, I talked about my first love.

I said he was a fierce, rough guy! My friends howled with laughter over our burgers and ciders as we squeezed into a sticky vinyl booth at Grady’s Bar & Grill, burgers dripping onto wax paper and ciders sweating in our hands. Before I could finish, Caleb appeared, holding a diary carefully pieced back together, page by page. His hands trembled as he demanded:

"Lila, you're lying. Your first love was me! I've been waiting all this time—waiting for your confession!"

His voice cracked in the middle, and the music from the jukebox faded into the background as the whole room turned to watch us.