

For all the people who made you feel like you weren’t worthy of them.” You-” she smiled sweetly at me “-are one of my favorite people in the whole world and if he can’t see how special you are, then it’s his loss. “We talked about this.” Vicki squeezed my hand. I was next up on the stage, and the person who made me brave wasn’t here to cheer me on. “You’ve gone paler than normal,” Vicki said, looking concerned. I had people here who loved and supported me, and as amazing as that felt, it still hurt not to have Tobias there. The way she just spun around and started walking with us in response had made me want to cry grateful tears.

She’d been surprised to see us together, and Dad had encouraged me to invite her along.

Cruickshank, my dad and I had passed her on the esplanade on our way to Pan. Stone about the open mic night and like my dad, his response had been immediate and positive. However, my one constant-Vicki-was with me. Steph couldn’t make it because she had a date with a college boy she’d met at the swim center last week. The café was busier than I’d ever seen it, and yet the person I most wanted there wasn’t anywhere to be seen. There were older people here, some obviously parents, and of course a lot of under eighteens. Pan was crowded tonight with regular patrons and people who rarely, if ever, frequented the place. Best Health Insurance Companies in Texas, United States
