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Back Little Universes Save as PDF
Chapters (63)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Part 1
  6. Mae
  7. Hannah
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. Part 2
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. 36
  45. 37
  46. 38
  47. Part 3
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. 47
  57. 48
  58. Epilogue
  59. Mental Health Resources
  60. Acknowledgments
  61. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
  62. About the Author
  63. Newsletter Sign-up

Hungover as a mother. But not a mother. Because who would want me, who would want to be a copy of this?

You’d think getting knocked up and almost failing the eleventh grade would be rock bottom enough for any girl. Ha.

“Hannah,” Micah says, his hand on my arm.

“Go to class,” I mumble, throwing his pillow over my head. “You can take me home after.”

It’s too late to go back to Venice and get to school on time. Ditching school on a Friday is what any self-respecting senior would do.

His phone rings. “Mae? Sorry—sorry. I just saw your text. Fuck. I’m freaking out. I just woke up. My phone was on silent, so I missed all your—No. She’s asleep.” Micah’s voice veers in my direction. “Nah. Seriously, wake up. Please.”

I turn over. “Just tell her I’m ditching. Christ, she has to stop micromanaging my life. Only one of us is going to be an astronaut someday, and it isn’t me. The world will be fine if I cut a few more classes.”

I wonder what it must be like for Mae, to know that she matters, that she will maybe change the world. Dad is delighted by her. Mom is in awe of her. It’s like the universe had to even out her being adopted. I might have my parents’ genes, but she’s the best of them.

I’m so fucking basic.

“I’m looking now,” he says to Mae. “CNN.”

The room fills with the sound of people screaming. I bolt up. Micah’s at his desk, staring at his laptop.

“What is that?” I’m getting out of bed. “What?”

He turns toward me. Tries to say words, but all that comes out is a croak. Like when I said, Hey, I have to tell you something, and held up that stick with the two lines.

And I know, I think. I don’t know what, but it’s like I know everything in my life is turning to utter shit. Again.

“Was there a terrorist attack?” I ask.

He shakes his head. What scares me isn’t the fear on his face. It’s the confusion. Like the tables have been turned. Like whatever is on CNN is actually personal, like it’s going to be more than just some randomness you talk about, not a school shooting across the country or a famine on the other side of the world.

I hold out my hand and he gives me his phone.

“It’s me,” I say.

I hear words and Mae has the kind of voice doctors on TV use when they come into the hospital waiting room with really bad fucking news. But I don’t know what she’s saying because I’m looking at Micah’s screen. And I see it.

I see the wave.

3

Mae

ISS Location: Low-Earth Orbit

Earth Date: 30 August

Earth Time (PST): 09:52