The Memory Key (25 page)

Because in the end she left anyway.

What I have to remember is that I'll get my chance to fix things with her; we will get our chance to fix things with each other, after Carlos's article is published. It just feels like such a long time to wait, with more guessing about what will happen than any actual certainty. Though I suppose there can never be much certainty about the future.

And in the meantime what will I do? Distribute flyers for the KCO—that anti–Keep Corp activist group? Be a model library clerk? Hang out with Wendy? Make out with Tim? Move away to school and decide what to major in? Eat some ice cream with my dad?

I close my eyes and try to see her as I last saw her, standing in the department store, arm reaching toward me. Her face is a blur, her arm is a blur, the whole memory is a blur. But I still know she's reaching toward me.

We
will
get our chance to fix things with each other.

And in the meantime I'll just wash these dishes, dry these
dishes, then go across the hall to the den, where Dad is sitting in his armchair, watching the evening news, and when he looks up to ask if it's time for ice cream, I will smile and tell him yes. It's time.

For their inspiration and wisdom and invaluable guidance, thanks to Kristen Pettit, Sarah Burnes, and Logan Garrison.

For their help in making this book a book, thanks to Elizabeth Lynch, Veronica Ambrose, and Bethany Reis.

For his super photography skills, thanks to Amir Husak.

For their encouragement and insight, thanks to my first readers, Sara Culver and Alina Romo, and to my teachers, Charles Baxter, Aimee Bender, Maria Fitzgerald, and Julie Schumacher.

For their love and support, thanks to my friends and family, especially Mom, Dad, Karina, and Kristen.

PHOTO BY AMIR HUSAK

LIANA LIU
was born and raised in New York City and lives there still. She received her MFA in fiction writing from the University of Minnesota. You can visit her online at
www.lianaliu.com
.

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at
hc.com
.

Cover art © 2015 by Shutterstock

Cover design by Annemieke Beemster Leverenz

HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

THE MEMORY KEY
. Copyright © 2015 by Liana Liu. 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.
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