Fresh off "the worst year of her life," sixteen-year-old Maddie Hickman has sworn off love and her once-beloved self-help books in favor of editing the school paper and "banging out weepy poems." When she receives an anonymous letter from a gay student who's been physically threatened, Maddie is forced to step out of her self-imposed isolation, face her own personal problems, and take a stand. But how far is she willing to go? Will her best friends Peter and Susan stand with her? Can friendship survive past and present personal problems as well as challenging parents and unbending school administrators? And just how far are the three friends willing to go?

Peter’s face is the color of the tomato sauce he made, making his bruised cheek less noticeable. I look down and see that my boob has been hanging—if an A-cup can hang—out of the robe. My hand moves to tuck it back in, but … in a moment of I don’t-really-know-what: Curiosity? Insanity? … I leave it out and lean all the way to Peter’s hands. I take one and put it on my boob. He just keeps looking at my face and his hand is motionless. Not a squeeze of curiosity. No pinch of wonder. It’s like the hand is attached to a cadaver. I lean my face to his and my mouth brushes his cheek. The world sort of tilts and I murmur, “Go ahead. It’s okay.” No response at all. Maybe Susan was right last year. She said he’s been in love with me for so long. So long he’s afraid. So long that— A gush of wind and he’s standing up and pacing the room. The world is upright again. “Maddie, Maddie …” Now I’m the color of tomato sauce, I’m certain. I grab my boob and tuck it in as if it were a piece of candy I just swiped from the loose candy aisle at Stop & Shop. Peter’s just a blur, he’s pacing so fast. “Maddie, God, Maddie … I really— I’m so sorry I just, I’m … I’m—” And kind of like watching a very large boulder come rushing toward you, only in slow motion, I figure it all out. The clogs. Long hair. Tom Cruise … Oh my good God. When it rains, it floods, like Barbara always says. I breathe in and out through my nose and shake my head loose to unmuddy the waters, as the yoga teacher used to say. I don’t have to ask. But I have to say it. “You’re gay.”

Hannah R. Goodman, M.Ed, is the author of two other books about Maddie Hickman, My Sister’s Wedding, which was finalist of the 2004 Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards in the Children’s Book Division and My Summer Vacation, which received a 2007 IPPY Award in the category of young adult fiction. Currently, she is working towards an MFA in Creative Writing at Pine Manor College. She resides in Bristol, Rhode Island with her two daughters, husband, and three cats. www.hannahrgoodman.com