Chapter 23

• I went to the mantelpiece alone in the living room to examine the picture frames that were exactly straight. One featured Alex on his graduation day, proudly posing with his parents, while another featured Alex and Adriana as little children. It was so cute. They each held aloft a three-scoop ice cream cone while donning cowboy hats. Compared to them, it appeared gigantic. Others appeared, and I believed they belonged to Samantha and her sisters. The picture of them on their wedding day was the one that attracted my attention. She was gorgeous in her clothing. She glanced into his eyes with a bright smile on her face. Alex was holding her and had different-colored eyes.
• Alex was holding her, and I noticed that his eyes were a different colour of emerald than usual. I didn't understand how that was even conceivable.
• He appeared content despite this, and I was reminded to ignore the feelings that were beginning to arise inside of me. If I wanted to enroll in an Ivy League university the next year, my grades had to come first.