Content Warning: This section discusses the death of a parent.

“I trailed off when I saw her. She. Was. There. Holy shit. Libby was standing in the living room. I’d managed to avoid her for the entire two weeks she’d been home on break, but now we were at the same party. On New Year’s Eve. Are you kidding me, Universe? I’d vetoed three different parties that night, parties where I thought she might show up, but I’d assumed this one would be safe. I’m not sure if things got quiet or loud, blurry or hyperfocused, but I know the universe changed as I looked at Liz, everything melting into impressionistic streaks of fuzzy background colors.”

The use of fragmentation, expletives, italics, and punctuation in this passage reveals Wes Bennett’s state of mind. Wes is so shocked to see Liz Buxbaum at the New Year’s Eve party that his internal monologue breaks into a series of one-word sentences and one-sentence paragraphs. Furthermore, the figurative language that the author uses to describe Wes’s experience looking at Liz captures his deep feelings for her, as “the universe change[s],” with “everything melting into impressionistic streaks of fuzzy background colors.”

“I, on the other hand, was a twenty-year-old freshman with a lot to prove. Because two years ago, I’d had everything. Then I lost it all. So now that I had a second chance to grab on to that everything, you could bet your ass I wasn’t casually reaching. No, sir, I was greedily grabbing with both hands and never letting go.”

The formal presentation of these lines highlights Wes’s determination and drive. Each of these lines appears on the page as a single-sentence paragraph. This style captures how Wes is thinking about his life in the present and the way that running helps him organize his thoughts and focus. This passage also conveys Wes’s desire to change and heal upon his return to UCLA.

“It truly felt like a road map to my dreams. I’m smiling again, I realized as I stopped at the corner to wait on the light. I was smiling like a damn fool, jogging in place, but it was impossible not to. Because this year was about to be everything.”

The use of repetition, fragmentation, italics, and expletives in this passage captures Liz’s positive state of mind. She is marveling at her hopeful outlook, evidenced by her “smiling like a damn fool.