College and all my plans no longer mattered to me. I suppose it’s easy to be happy when you think you have the perfect cookie-cutter family with your life all mapped out until all of it slipped through my fingers.

She also said that I was too forgiving at times. My mom always said I was the happiest baby she’d ever seen and that nothing ever upset me. An anger built inside of me, and it was a foreign feeling. They go about their lives like nothing happened, and I know to them nothing did, but not for me. It’s too sunny and bright, and everyone is always happy. It’s why I’m here in the little town of Bear Mountain and living with my grandparents. The people who loved me most in the world have left me alone. One second you think everything is perfect, and the next it’s all ripped away from you. Dad wouldn’t allow it, although I’m not sure that she ever wanted to take it off.

It’s my mom’s wedding ring, and it never left her hand. I run my finger against the ring I’ve been wearing since the funeral home gave it to me three months ago. It’s hard to smile when your heart is broken. It’s not often I smile anymore, so it surprises me. When I wipe away the drop of water, I realize I’m smiling. One giant flake smacks me in the cheek, and I reach up to touch where it landed. Sure, there’s snow everywhere, but the few snowstorms that came through were during the night, and I missed them. Grams told me it snowed all the time, but since I moved here, I’ve yet to see that. I’ve been living in the little town of Bear Mountain for over a month, and this is the first time I’ve gotten to see it actually snow. When I stop walking and tilt my head, I look up at the gray sky and see the first snowflake.

Coach alexa riley kindle