by Lexa Hillyer
“Cal!” Zoe says, shaking her head.
“What?”
“We can talk about that later.”
He sighs. “Fine. So Zoe, just tell me one more thing and then I’ll hang up.”
“Sure, what is it?” she asks, tapping her steering wheel as she makes her way onto her street, the one she has lived on for her entire life. She can see her house down at the end of the block.
“I just want to make sure”—his voice gets quiet—“that you’ll, you know, be okay.”
Zoe squints into the distance and takes a moment before answering. She thinks again of the funeral—how she held Luce and Tali’s hands through the whole service, feeling like if they unlinked, even for a second, she might not be able to stand anymore. How, afterward, they promised to get together over Thanksgiving break, and how relieved Zoe felt, knowing they would still be there—somewhere—caring about her, inextricably linked to her. And not through the shared experience of losing Joy . . . but of finding her again, of rediscovering the invisible thread that had always tied them together before and lifted them up, made life better.
They’ve been given something that most people never get: a second chance.
Of course, she can’t help hearing Joy’s voice in her head, too, always insisting that life improves with time, that someday when camp was long over, they wouldn’t have to settle for just okay.
She feels herself choking up all over again. “You know what, Cal?” she says. “I’m going to be better than okay. I’m going to be fantastic.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you first to Lauren Oliver, a dear friend and phenomenal writer, whose courage, brilliance, and hard work inspire me daily, and without whose support I may never have written this book. Thanks also to my remarkably relentless, genius, kick-ass agent and invaluable conspirator Stephen Barbara; and to the most nurturing and insightful editor in the world, Rosemary Brosnan, who has helped turn my first baby manuscript into a full-grown book with a wild mind and heart of its own.
I’m indebted to Susan Katz, Kate Jackson, Jessica MacLeish, and the rest of the very vibrant HarperTeen group, including Erin Fitzsimmons, whose brilliant design made the book beautiful on the outside. To Rhoda Belleza, Angela Velez, Kamilla Benko, Tara Sonin, and Alexa Wejko, the sharp-minded and fashionable editors at Paper Lantern Lit (you all wear my clothes so well!); to Jessica Regel and the rest of the formidably awesome Foundry team; and of course, to my writing retreat rivals in Type A-ness: Jess Rothenberg, Rebecca Serle, Leila Sales, Courtney Sheinmel, and Emily Heddleson . . . not to mention puppy mascot, Rufus, and honorary writing partner, “Bebe” (Theo) Barbara.
Thank you to EVERYONE in my big, loud, boisterous family for forcing me to have a voice, believing in it always, and even, occasionally, listening to it. Thank you to Laura Schechter, my “first marriage,” who has encouraged me to let go, to leap toward that which scares me most, and to fly.
And of course, thank you to my husband, Charlie, who has offered patience when there could have been none left, who has fed me in many ways but especially the literal way, and most of all, who has shown me the tenderness of great love.
BACK AD
DISCOVER
your next favorite read
MEET
new authors to love
WIN
free books
WATCH
the latest videos
SHARE
infographics, lists, quizzes
SIGN UP
for bookish fun & news
* * *
epicreads.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Charles Grantham
LEXA HILLYER is the cofounder of literary incubator Paper Lantern Lit and a former YA editor. Lexa is also an award-winning poet: her first collection, Acquainted with the Cold, won a Foreword IndieFab Book of the Year Award. Her poetry has been anthologized in Best New Poets 2012 and has appeared in various journals. Proof of Forever is her first novel. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and an orange tree.
www.lexahillyer.com
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
CREDITS
Cover art © 2015 by Jan Havlicek/Shutterstock,
Karan Kapoor/plainpicture/Cultura,
Cultura RM/Kevin Zacher/Getty Images,
Aline Smithson/plainpicture/Glasshouse (front panel);
Aline Smithson/plainpicture/Glasshouse (back panel)
Cover design by Erin Fitzsimmons
COPYRIGHT
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
PROOF OF FOREVER. Copyright © 2015 by Lexa Hillyer. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.epicreads.com
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hillyer, Lexa.
Proof of forever / Lexa Hillyer.
pages cm
Summary: “Four former friends are transported back in time to a pivotal summer in all of their lives during a camp reunion”— Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-0-06-233037-6 (hardback)
EPub Edition © May 2015 ISBN 9780062330390
[1. Friendship—Fiction. 2. Camps—Fiction. 3. Time travel—Fiction. 4. Reunions—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.H5648Pro 2015 2014034155
[Fic]–dc23 CIP
AC
* * *
15 16 17 18 19 CG/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8, Canada
www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive
Rosedale 0632
Auckland, New Zealand
www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF, UK
www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
www.harpercollins.com