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Chapters (67)
  1. Big Boned
  2. CONTENTS
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. One Month Later
  60. Acknowledgments
  61. About the Author
  62. Copyright
  63. About the Publisher
  64. Backad 1
  65. Backad 2
  66. Backad 3
  67. Backad 4

It was so hard to wrap my head around the fact that someone had taken their last breath here. Right by my feet. Someone had ceased to exist on the spot I was now standing on. I was alive—my heart was beating and my lungs were drawing in air—but she was gone, and yet we were both here. The thought was so overwhelming that it felt like my brain was stretching in order to contemplate it.

I bet she was loved. I bet if her family drove past and saw this cross, they would hate to think of her all alone and forgotten on this dark street corner, nothing but the bent-over pole to show that she’d once been alive.

My bag of paints was still in the trunk of my car, and suddenly I knew what I needed to do. I needed to show the world that this broken-down cross was so much more than that. That it had been a person. A Rose. A girl with dreams and ambitions, who’d once been alive and breathing. I needed to bring Rose back to life, I needed to give her a voice, I needed to. A loud, screaming voice so she wouldn’t be overlooked and forgotten on this lonely street corner anymore. So she wouldn’t be invisible. With one last glance over my shoulder to make sure I was all alone, I grabbed my paints.

And again, just like the first time, like something strange and surreal that defied all the known physical laws of right here and right now, it happened. It flowed through me. I felt plugged into and caught up in a moment that seemed so much bigger than myself. It was infinite. To the stars and back. Shooting past Earth and the moon, racing toward Mercury, past Jupiter, slingshotting around Pluto and then rushing back to me, through me, into my fingers, and out of the can of paint.

When I was finished, I looked back at my art and realized that something was missing. The last piece I’d done had been completely anonymous, but this time, I was going to make sure that the world knew that I was here too, with Rose. So, I moved to the edge of the artwork and tagged it.

35

“Oh my . . .” I sat up in bed, shocked when I saw my Instagram feed. My fingers hovered over the video for a moment and then I clicked and watched.