Explaining that I'm faced with a choice between being with the love of my life, or saving four lives that were never meant to end.

If you insist on the chase," I say, my voice much surer than I feel."Then you better start training. 'Cause, dude you're in for a marathon.

What is going on with you?" she says, shaking her head and pushing me away. "What's up with all the love and affection? I mean, you of all people, you of the eternal iPod-hoodie combo.

I'm after something far more esoteric than a virginal shag. Though, if you'd like, darlin', I'm certainly up for the task.

Each soul, each person, has to find their own way - learn their own lessons ... It's all those rough bits that make us stronger.

No: What the heck happened? Or: Why did you go from nearly kissing me to tossing me across your yard and into the patio furniture?

And I know you've spent a lifetime trying to protect me from the staggering pain of grief that comes from losing the things and the people and the places you allowed yourself to care about--but guess what, Jennika--that's no way to live. As much as it hurts to lose something you love, there's much greater joy in getting to experience it for as long as it lasts.