Instructions for Dancing

by Nicola Yoon

Technically, it’s not a perfect smile. He has a small gap between his front teeth, and the right side of his face scrunches a little too much.

Lol

“Okay, now relax your shoulders. They do not belong next to ears,”

She turns to X. “And you couldn’t lead a cow to grass.”

“People don’t come back, Evie. The time we get is the time we get.”

Dad: Are you sure I can’t call you? Texting is a poor medium for conveying joy.

“I’ll be okay by myself,” I insist. She laughs at me. “You ever hear the one about the fish that didn’t need water?” “No,” I say. “Me neither,” she says.

And then I do the thing you’re supposed to do when you find love. I hold on.