“Is it such a surprise?” Dad asks, leaning against the car. Pops leans against him, and I follow suit. The three of us look like we’re posing for a car magazine. “You’re obviously a responsible young lady.”

“It’s true.” Pops nods, but he looks a lot more reluctant. “You’re not a little girl anymore.”

“But we want to be here to support you,” Dad continues, snaking an arm around my shoulders. “Whether that’s out here or in the waiting room.”

“Preferably in the waiting room,” Pops interrupts. I snort, but he keeps going. “What your dad is trying to say is that we know you can do this on your own, but that doesn’t mean you have to. We’re always here.”

Shit. I might cry. And if I cry, one of them will cry, and we’ll have a crying fest.

“We want to help,” Dad says, pulling me close. “However we can.”

I suck in a breath, forcing tears back. It’s weird to think of them on the sidelines instead of front and center. They’ve always given me freedom—at Our Lady of Lourdes, at Sacred Heart, with my friends. But this is a new step. A big step. Even though I’m glad to take it, I’m glad that they aren’t completely gone.

“Could you come inside?” I ask. “And, like, wait in there?”

Dad smiles. “Of course, cariño.”

“We’re right behind you.” Pops knocks his shoulder with mine. “Lead the way, Simone.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE

My interest in HIV and AIDS existed long before Simone did. We spoke briefly about HIV and AIDS in my high school health class, but it wasn’t until I started reading blogs written by parents of kids with HIV that my education truly began. It was while researching and learning that Simone’s character came to life.

Once I had a basic idea of who Simone was, I took my research to the next level to figure out the details of her story. This led me down several different avenues: I watched movies and read blogs, shared early drafts of the manuscript with readers who were HIV-positive, and followed people on social media. At first, I just wanted to know what life was like for a teen with HIV, but I soon found myself interested in the AIDS epidemic in the United States and the ways different communities responded. I’m still shocked I didn’t learn any of this in school.

The resources listed below were extremely useful to me, not just in ensuring Simone’s story was true-to-life, but because they taught me a wealth of information. I’m still learning and always will be. I hope these resources will teach you something new as well.

DOCUMENTARIES:

The Battle of amfAR, directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (HBO, 2013)

Blood Brother, directed by John Pogue (2018)

How to Survive a Plague, directed by David France (2012)