To Michael: You once said you think the “best friend” thing is stupid, but you’re one of my best friends, so you have to deal with it. I feel like we’ve grown up with each other, even though we live in different places. I’m so grateful to have you in my life. I’m grateful for Teens Can Write, Too!, which let me believe I could be a writer. I’m grateful for every complaint you listened to, for every time you somehow found a way to help me hang on. Thank you for making me feel like you were in the next room when you were farther away. For believing in me and being gentle and also ruthlessly funny at the same time. For everything. You’re amazing and I love you.

To Aisha, thank you for stalking me on Twitter and starting our friendship; thank you for reading Drew’s story and believing so much in it, even though it didn’t work out. For introducing me to different viewpoints and making stupid jokes.

To Maliha: For taking pictures of me when I signed the contract. For coming up to middle school and telling me you liked my shirt; for the framed picture of me staring dramatically out a window that’s still on my nightstand. For shipping Stucky with me. For naming Ren, even though his book didn’t get published. For your friendship.

To Natalia, Gabi, Abi: Thank you for making high school bearable. Thank you for being the friends I could talk to about literally anything. Thank you for answering odd questions about sex at lunch or via the group chat. Thank you for inspiring Simone, Claudia, and Lydia. You’re the first group of girlfriends I felt especially close to. I love your makeup skills and how great you are at making art. I love that none of you know what you’re doing. I love that you know everything and nothing all at once. I love that there’s always one of you awake at two in the morning. I love the memes from Tumblr and the characters you think up. Thank you for listening to me talk about imaginary people. Thank you for loving me for who I am. I love you.

Thank you, Chey, because you’d probably torture me if I didn’t include you here. Thank you for being one of my first friends at college. I’m so excited to see what we create together in the future.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Miss Kalter. You were excited for me when I couldn’t process anything and I love you for it. Thank you for being proud and happy and so awesome, even before I got this deal. For introducing me to different sides of storytelling. For listening to me ramble at the beginning of the school day and during random periods. For everything.