ABOUT A MONTH later, after our finals, I hang out with Jake during our last seventh-period lunch together. It was an uncommonly warm January day in the city, and we ate our lunchroom ham sandwiches on The Wall. It was so warm and sunny other there were even people wearing only T-shirts playing handball in the nearby playground.

By now, Jake and I had been spending so much time together no one even cared to gossip about it. Nick and I decided to take a break from each other. I guess if I were a proper girlfriend, I would have stuck with Nick after Jessica's death. Yet, when I thought about it, maybe I'm not serious about him either.

"Let me get this straight, Ruth still doesn't know that you are WilderLuna15?"

"No, and I don't think I will ever tell her," I reply as I generously coat my ham with a packet of mayonnaise. I'm running on a deficit of calories ever since I joined the tennis team. Ruth and I attend practice together three times a week. Just last week, we jogged all the way to South Side Seaport from Battery Park City.

"Ruth will find out eventually," Jake tells me as he bites into his sandwich that is still in a cacoon of cafeteria cling wrap. "Even if she's sworn off WilderLuna and closed down her forums."

"I know, and maybe when she does, she'll see we have more in common than she ever thought," I poke Jake with my elbow. "Just like a certain Sci-fi writer, I know."

"Hey, I have three hundred followers now. I'm practically an influencer."

"You will keep in touch after you to New Hampshire, won't you?" I ask as we both finish off our sandwiches, and the minutes of the lunch period is ticking away to an end. "Will you come back to NYC to visit your dad and your cousin, won't you? What will your cousin do without you starting fights with unruly customers at his cafe?"

"I bet my cousin has seen enough of me for a while," Jake answers with a laugh. He lounges back on the wall and plays with a tuft of my curly hair. "And my dad probably wouldn't even know that I am missing."

"Oh, so I guess we'll text each other then?"

"I'll come back to New York if only to visit you. I have to keep you away from those stalkers now that you're writing again."

I laugh at Jake but stop short of reminding him that he is my biggest, craziest stalker. He was the reason my haters got access to my phone number and my home address. Yet, at the same time, he also taught me more about appreciating myself than anyone ever had.

"It's only right that you have to come back to NYC if I ever get stalked again. You're the cause of all this."

"I know, and I'm sorry, truly," Jake says and hangs his head. Then he rubs his hands together. "Don't worry; I've hacked Dave or Bunny_Melissa's computer and iPhone Cloud. He has no record of your contact information. Also, I might have threatened to report him to his employer for all the furry cartoon porn I found on his computer if he comes after you again."

"Oh, gross. I guess that's the one benefit of being a master hacker; no one keeps any secrets from you."

"It isn't that hard. It's much harder to write a series that no one can seem to put down."

"You'll keep reading, won't you?" I ask as I see students returning from lunch and shuffling up the bridge. I bet that meant the bell marking the beginning of the eighth period was about to ring. "You won't move on to the next big thing."

"No, of course not. I'll always be your biggest fan, that is, if Ruth doesn't want to fight me for the role. I can't punch a girl."

I laugh and kiss Jake on the lips. He's not expecting that. I see his eyes widen as I jump off The Wall and head up the stairs to the bridge. "You better stick around. I'll write to you, and if you don't read the letters I write — then I'll write to you through my stories. You'll always be with me, no matter where you go."

"I'll always be with you, period," Jake says and takes me by the waist. He spins me around and plants his lips on mine. 

The End