“I’ll do you one better. Call me when you get there and I’ll talk you through it.” I smiled as I rolled my eyes. “You can ask really loudly what kind I need so no one will mistakenly believe they are for you.”

“They’ll know they’re for my … girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend, huh? Think I can still get that Frosty too? A good boyfriend would make it a Biggie.”

“You’re such a Frosty slut.”

“Now, now, I think that’s Chelsea Westad’s title.”

He chuckled.

I said good-bye and flipped the phone shut as I padded barefoot to the kitchen.

The color of blue jerked me back. On the refrigerator was one of Mom’s sticky notes. Things hadn’t changed that much after all. A suspension for vandalizing school property certainly warranted one.

I plucked it off with annoyance and then smiled. In my mother’s perky handwriting, it said,

“I’ll listen.”

Acknowledgments

There are so many people I’d like to thank for making this dream possible.

Thanks to those who were there from the beginning: Aunt Bic, for having floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and an unlimited imagination; Grammy, for always smiling, even though you must have been worried about some of my interests; Sandy, for always listening, even to my crappy angst-ridden poetry; Granny, for having a map of the world and lots and lots of pushpins; my teachers, for all those wonderful writing assignments; and my friends and family, for always asking to read more.

Thanks to those who helped me do it for real: the OKRWA Outlaws, for training me in all things writerly; the Why?Eh?Errrrs (Teri Brown, Cyn Balog, Cheryl Mansfield, and Heather Harper), for their constant encouragement, insightful critiques, and the occasional dose of edgy chocolate; and Jordan Dane (who knows Shay’s real identity), for recognizing what was right and what was wrong with this story—thank you for not blowing sunshine up my skirt—every writer needs a reader like you!

Thanks to those who made it happen: Kristin Nelson, for believing in it; Emily Easton, for not only getting it but for also knowing how to make it better; and everyone at Walker, for taking such great care of it every step of the way!

Thanks to BBS for being proud even though you don’t read these bound paper things.

And last but certainly not least, to my mother—thank you for always knowing this day would come, even when I wasn’t so sure.