June First

by Jennifer Hartmann

It’s hard to do bad things when someone wants you to be remarkable.

“Mario doesn’t just stop being Mario because he gets scared. He keeps fighting. He keeps going and going until he defeats all the scary things,” I say, my voice hushed in the quiet auditorium. “Think about it. He gets a whole lot of chances before he gets it right.”

He has dents that pop up on both cheeks when he smiles wide, and Mama says they’re called dimples. I love Brant’s dimples. I pretend they were made just for me.

“You’re not responsible for the way others react to what you need to do to get better.”

“I’m just saying, friend to friend, that there are worse things than loving the wrong person.” I stare at him, waiting, my stomach twisting into knots. “And that’s losing them.”

“Never underestimate a man willing to wait forever for the woman he loves.”

“True happiness is worth every sad, unremarkable minute,”