Best Of Mark Twain Novels & Stories

“I know.” “And you’re still leaving.” I swallowed. “Yes.” The word barely came out. For a moment, none of us moved. Then Rownan quietly said, “This is the worst prom in recorded history.” Ky let out a broken half-laugh. Iris wiped her cheeks. “So what now?” she asked. I forced a small smile. “Now… we breathe.” My chest felt hollow. “But we’re best friends,” I said gently. “And maybe one day, when things aren’t tangled…”

“Dude, you’re gonna get kicked out again.” I smirked without looking up. “Relax. He loves me.” “Yeah,” Mark snorted. “In the same way people love migraines.” I glanced up just in time to catch Claire flipping a page of her notes in front of me. Perfect handwriting. Perfect posture. Perfect everything. The kind of girl teachers adored. I reached into my pocket, pulled out a rubber band, stretched it between my fingers. Mark’s eyes lit up. “Don’t.” I grinned. “Do.”

“I didn’t think anyone else in Virginia understood that.” “Sometimes I like to seek out a deeper meaning to a story. But at other times, a story is just a story.” She picked out Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer has its elements in it but I prefer Jane Austen’s work to Mark Twain’s.” “Don’t let my brother Luke hear you say that.” “Which one is he?”

I can see his fingers twitching. “Don’t tell him I told you, okay?” the old man says, but his eyes are fixated on the cash I hold. “You have my word,” I assure him. He looks around to see if anyone is watching before he snatches the cash from my hand and quickly puts it in his pocket. Afterward, he gives me Thorne’s new address. I thank the old man and hail a cab. On my way to the address, I can’t help but think how thoughtful it is of Thorne to leave his pack house for the homeless.