They Both Die at the End

by Adam Silvera

I collapse back onto the floor, thinking about how it’s do or die now. Not even that. Do, and then die.

Yes, we live, or we’re given the chance to, at least, but sometimes living is hard and complicated because of fear.

You’re Penny’s shot at happiness in a world that makes cheap promises and has no guarantees and doesn’t always reward those who never did wrong. It’s like, the world will just as easily screw with a good person as it will a not-so-good one, but you devote your days to someone else selflessly anyway.

Monsters don’t come to your home to help you live; they trap you in your bed and eat you alive.

“We never act,” Mateo says. “Only react once we realize the clock is ticking.”

I kiss the guy who brought me to life on the day we’re going to die.

“I would’ve loved you if we had more time.”

People waste time and wait for the right moment and we don’t have that luxury.

“Did finding each other kill us?”

But maybe this is how it was always written in stone or the stars or whatever: Two dudes meet. They fall for each other. They die.”

“Two dudes met. They fell in love. They lived. That’s our story.”

Maybe it’s better to have gotten it right and been happy for one day instead of living a lifetime of wrongs.”