Dear journal,

       Day 2 with the nomads. Even though I already have many companions and 3 really good friends, I still feel like I'm on the outside, looking in.

       I woke up this morning in the field that the nomads -we- made camp in last night. At first, I had no idea where I was, until I saw Melanie and the events of yesterday came crashing down on me. I didn't even realize that I was sobbing until I heard a voice behind me.

       "Do you wanna talk about it?" The light, melodic voice could only belong to my old friend, Sophia.

       "I'm fine Sophia," I managed to stop crying. "See, I'm fine."

       "No, you're not. Missing Ben is changing you. You should go back."

       "I can't go back Sophia. You don't get it. I need to see DC."

       I knew immediately why she giggled before she even finished giggling. It had been our own private joke back in school. I had tended to rhyme a lo. See, DC, get it? Anyway journal, back to what happened to me today.

       After everyone else, by which I mean Melanie and Simon, woke up, Melanie, who Sophia told me wasn't cheerful until she had eaten breakfast, walked me through a morning with the nomads. We got breakfast, ate, packed up our rough camp, and got going.

       On the road, I talked mostly to Melanie. Sophia and Simon mostly just whispered and giggled to each other, although occasionally, they would become somber. Melanie told me that they whispered to each other a lot because they were a couple.

       Melanie kept asking me about how I survived the blast and, as polite as I wanted to be, I couldn't keep myself from asking her something.

       "How did you get here?"

       She stiffened, so I knew that it was bad. After she had eaten breakfast, she was always cheerful. If she wasn't, something was horribly wrong. I struggled to right the wrong.

       "You don't have to tell me. It's just, you know my story. I thought I should know yours."

       "No, I should tell you. Ready?" I nodded. "Alright. I was asleep when the blast happened. I woke up to destruction everywhere. I went downstairs to find my parents, and that's when I saw them. They were in the kitchen, some chunks of ceiling had fallen on them. Their heads were bloody and crushed. I ran into the basement, where I lived off the supplies meant to last five people a month for a year. Then the nomads found me. I've been with them ever since."

       "If it was that bad, then why are you so happy all the time?"

       "I guess I'm trying to compensate for the sadness.........Anyways, do you wanna meet my boyfriend?"

       "You have a boyfriend?"

       "Yep. His name is Nicholas Black, but I call him Nico."

       As it turned out, Nicholas was totally emo. He wore a black leather jacket, a black shirt, black jeans, and black sneakers. He had green eyes, black hair, and seemed to be the polar opposite of Melanie. Maybe opposites really do attract.

       Melanie spent the rest of the day draped over him, giggling. She looked fake, even she was never that happy. Nico genuinely seemed like a nice person, though. He really seemed to love Melanie. Oddly enough though, no matter how much I should like him, I hate him.

       So journal, my revelation for today:

       I think that I'm in love with Melanie Anderson.

       Jacob Crowley