... Usually shooting stars come and go so quickly, you don’t even get to focus your eyes on them. This one took it’s time, however, and we all saw it. A moment after our oohs and aaahs had stopped Hannah said, "A shooting star, that’s what I’ll be. When I die I’ll become a shooting star and everyone will know I was here." Cynthia and I looked at each other behind her back and just smiled knowingly at each other. Then we put our arms around Hannah and the three of us stood there silently watching the sky until we were so cold we had to go in....

I wanted to tell him that it was a stupid idea. I didn't know which was worse: either way, the girls would know I was a boy dressed as a girl. If I pretended to be a girl for the gym class, any of the girls would recognize me later in day when I was dressed as Mark. I was about to object when the bell rang. It startled Mr. Bruce into action. "Come on," he said, pushing me. "We both got places to go."

I was awake. I knew I was awake, because the pain told me so. It is said that you don't feel pain in your sleep. So, if I was feeling this, I must have been awake. I don't think I wanted to be awake.

I opened my eyes. Nothing changed, so I held a hand in front of my face. Well, I tried to hold a hand in front of my face. My knuckles encountered something rather solid, and I still couldn't see what was going on. I closed my eyes again. If there's no real difference between closed and open, may as well keep 'em closed and keep stuff from getting in them, right?