The Third Best Thing (Fulton U, #3)

by Maya Hughes

Mom. Gone. Dad. Locked up for a long time. Foster families who’d pushed me aside. At this point there was only one person in my life who’d always been there and she was flaky at best. No, I didn’t need to add anyone new to the Berk Sucks, Let’s Stay Far, Far Away Club. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t admire the view.

Even on the best days only the brightest stars can shine,

group of butterflies was called,

Kaleidoscope

I could imagine her doing the same thing with two little kids at her side, a boy and a girl that both looked just like her. And that vision was so vivid, so real, that I had to take a step back. The dreams of a kid who’d never had a family jumping way ahead of where we were now.

“Still breathing.” “Sometimes that’s all we hang onto.”

And I love you.” Her voice cracked. “Coming third isn’t the issue.

I love you so much that my future that was once so crystal clear is a wasteland stretching on as far as I can see when I try to picture it now without you.”

“And you were never the third best thing in my life, Jules.