We were silent for a long time after that, while I thought about the love inside Margaret, how much of it there must have been that even time couldn’t stand up to it. There were no fourth-dimensional beings. It was Margaret’s heart, that was all. It was so strong it bent space-time around it.
“But I knew there was a catch. I always knew it. The catch was that if I fell in love, it would end. Time would roll forward again, like it always does, and it would take my mom along with it. I don’t know how, but I knew that was always the deal. When I could fall in love with someone, that’s how I would know it was time to say good-bye to her for real.
“I think that’s why you’re here. For me to fall in love with. That’s why you got sucked into this. I knew it as soon as I saw you.”
The sun was almost up, the sky was getting bright, and it was like I could feel a sun rising inside me, too, bright and warm, filling my whole self with love. Because Margaret did love me. And at the same time I was crying—the sadness didn’t go away, not in the slightest. I was happy and sad, both at once. I thought about what time is, how we’re being broken every second, we’re losing moments all the time, leaking them away like a stuffed animal losing its stuffing, until one day they’re all gone and we lose everything. Forever. And then, at the same time, we’re gaining seconds, moment after moment. Every one is a gift, until at the end of our lives we’re sitting on a rich hoard of moments. Rich beyond imagining. Time was both those things at once.
I took both Margaret’s hands in mine.
“Is it time? Is this the last day?”
She nodded solemnly.
“It’s the last one. The last August 4th. I mean, till next year anyway.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks again, but she smiled through them. “I’m ready now. It’s time.”
The sun cracked the edge of the world and began to rise.
“You know what’s funny though?” she said. “I keep waiting for the thing to happen. You know, the perfect thing, the last one. The way it’s supposed to on the map. But maybe we missed it while we were talking.”
“I don’t think we missed it.”
I kissed her. You can spend your life waiting and watching for perfect moments, but sometimes you have to make one happen.
After a few seconds, the best seconds of my life so far, Margaret pulled away.
“Hang on,” she said. “I don’t think that was it.”
“It wasn’t?”
“It wasn’t perfect. I had a hair in my mouth.”
She swept her hair to one side.
“Okay, kiss me again.”
I did. And this time it was perfect.
ANTHOLOGIES ALSO EDITED BY STEPHANIE PERKINS
MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: TWELVE HOLIDAY STORIES
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Leigh Bardugo is the New York Times bestselling author of Six of Crows and the Grisha trilogy. She was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. These days, she lives and writes in Hollywood, where she can occasionally be heard singing with her band. Visit her online at leighbardugo.com. Or sign up for email updates here.
Francesca Lia Block is the Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award–winning and bestselling author of Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books and more than twenty-five other works of fiction, nonfiction, and collected short stories and poetry for adults and young adults. She lives in Los Angeles. Visit her online at francescaliablock.com. Or sign up for email updates here.
Libba Bray is the New York Times bestselling author of the Gemma Doyle trilogy, the Michael L. Printz Award–winning Going Bovine, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist Beauty Queens, and the Diviners series. A horror fan who rarely dated in high school (where was the love, boys of Denton, Texas?), she now lives with her family in New York City. Visit her online at libbabray.com.
Cassandra Clare is the New York Times bestselling author of the Mortal Instruments series and Infernal Devices trilogy. She was born overseas and spent her early years traveling around the world with her family and several trunks of books. Cassandra lives in western Massachusetts with her husband, their cats, and these days, even more books. Visit her online at cassandraclare.com.
Brandy Colbert is the author of the critically acclaimed Pointe, and two forthcoming young-adult novels. She lives and writes in Los Angeles. Visit her online at brandycolbert.com.
Tim Federle left Pittsburgh as a teenager to dance on Broadway before writing his first book for young readers, Better Nate Than Ever, followed by a sequel that won the Lambda Literary Award. Tim’s young-adult debut novel, The Great American Whatever, was just released. Visit him online at timfederle.com.
Lev Grossman is the author of the New York Times bestselling Magicians trilogy. He lives in New York City. Visit him online at levgrossman.com.
Nina LaCour is the author of Hold Still, The Disenchantments, and Everything Leads to You, and the coauthor (with David Levithan) of You Know Me Well. She lives in California with her wife and daughter. Visit her online at ninalacour.com. Or sign up for email updates here.
Stephanie Perkins is the New York Times and international bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and Isla and the Happily Ever After, as well as the editor of My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories. She lives with her husband in Asheville, North Carolina. Visit her online at stephanieperkins.com. Or sign up for email updates here.
Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, and Four: A Divergent Collection. Now a full-time writer, Ms. Roth and her husband live near Chicago. Visit her online at veronicarothbooks.com.
Jon Skovron is the author of Struts & Frets, Misfit, Man Made Boy, This Broken Wondrous World, and most recently, Hope & Red, the first book in the Empire of Storms series. He lives just outside Washington, DC, with his two sons and two cats. Visit him online at jonskovrom.com.
Jennifer E. Smith is the author of six novels for young adults, including Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. She earned a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews, and her work has been translated into thirty-one languages. Visit her online at jenniferesmith.com.
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CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
HEAD, SCALES, TONGUE, TAIL
BY LEIGH BARDUGO
THE END OF LOVE
BY NINA LACOUR
LAST STAND AT THE CINEGORE
BY LIBBA BRAY
SICK PLEASURE
BY FRANCESCA LIA BLOCK
IN NINETY MINUTES, TURN NORTH
BY STEPHANIE PERKINS
SOUVENIRS
BY TIM FEDERLE
INERTIA
BY VERONICA ROTH
LOVE IS THE LAST RESORT
BY JON SKOVRON
GOOD LUCK AND FAREWELL
BY BRANDY COLBERT
BRAND NEW ATTRACTION
BY CASSANDRA CLARE
A THOUSAND WAYS THIS COULD ALL GO WRONG
BY JENNIFER E. SMITH
THE MAP OF TINY PERFECT THINGS
BY LEV GROSSMAN
ANTHOLOGIES ALSO EDITED BY STEPHANIE PERKINS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
COPYRIGHT
These short stories are works of fiction. All of the characters, organizat
ions, and events portrayed in these stories are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.
SUMMER DAYS AND SUMMER NIGHTS. Copyright © 2016 by Stephanie Perkins. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
“Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail.” Copyright © 2016 by Leigh Bardugo. “The End of Love.” Copyright © 2016 by Nina LaCour. “Last Stand at the Cinegore.” Copyright © 2016 by Libba Bray. “Sick Pleasure.” Copyright © 2016 by Francesca Lia Block. “In Ninety Minutes, Turn North.” Copyright © 2016 by Stephanie Perkins. “Souvenirs.” Copyright © 2016 by Tim Federle. “Inertia.” Copyright © 2016 by Veronica Roth. “Love Is the Last Resort.” Copyright © 2016 by Jon Skovron. “Good Luck and Farewell.” Copyright © 2016 by Brandy Colbert. “Brand New Attraction.” Copyright © 2016 by Cassandra Clare, LLC. “A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong.” Copyright © 2016 by Jennifer E. Smith Inc. “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things.” Copyright © 2016 by Lev Grossman.
www.stmartins.com
Cover art and interior illustrations by Jim Tierney
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-07912-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-9175-3 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466891753
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
First Edition: May 2016
Summer Days and Summer Nights Page 41