cover of the bookBy Sara Jade AlanĀ (PolSci'00)
(Entangled Teen, 220 pages; 2017)

Life is funny sometimes.

And not always the ha, ha kind. Like that one time where a hot guy tried to kiss me and I fell. Down. Hard. And then found out I had cancer.

Iā€™m trying to be strong for my friends and my mom.

And Iā€™m trying so hard to be ā€œjust friendsā€ with that hot guy, even though he seems to want so much more. But I wonā€™t do that to him. Heā€™s been through this before with his family, and Iā€™m not going to let him watch me die.

So, I tell myself: Smile Ellie. Be funny Ellie. Donā€™t cry Ellie, because once I start, I might not stop.