School was finally coming to an end for the year. To celebrate, Lesley had proposed a peep fighting contest. They had invited all their friends over and handed everyone a peep.

"Listen up," Lesley said very seriously. "This is a matter of life and death. Each peep gets a toothpick. Then we microwave two at a time. The peep that stabs the other peep first wins. Last peep standing is the champion."

Excited, everyone squeezed into the tight kitchen only to discover that they couldn't see through the microwave! Grumbling, they made their way back into the living room. Steph waited for Jer to find a seat first before going to sit on the opposite side of the room. 

It had been a few weeks since she had received the letter from Will and she still felt guilty around Jer. At least, that's what she thought that's what she was feeling. Seeing him made her feel uncomfortable. Ever since reading that letter, she just felt like she needed to get away from Jer. Talking to him made her chest hurt. Yet she couldn't leave him out of their end of semester get together. Especially since he was leaving the next day for the summer.

After some brainstorming, Charles remembered that he had a stop motion app on his phone. All of Steph's boy worries slipped away as the group of friends came together to make a horribly graphic stop motion peep duel that ended in a decapitation. Lots of ketchup blood was used.

Several hours of fun later, it was time to say goodbye for the evening, and for the summer for Jer. Lots of tight hugs were given, but Steph was trying to hold back as long as she could. The idea of touching Jer at all brought a pain to her chest. She felt like she needed to run. But she couldn't let Jer leave without a hug. She could see him looking at her tentatively as everyone else hugged him. Finally, everyone else had given Jer a hug and Steph was the only one left. Jer looked hopeful. Steph gave him a quick hug, making sure not to let him hug her too tightly. 

---

Jer had been gone for a week and Steph was regretting not giving him a better goodbye. She wished she hadn't been avoiding him because now that he was gone he was the only person she wanted to see. He had left a few weeks earlier than he normally would for his sister's wedding, so most of his siblings were in the same house. 

They had been texting a lot during the time Jer had been gone. Steph was finally starting to feel normal again, and she knew it was because of her conversations with Jer. Now, sitting in the chapel before church started, Steph was really wishing Jer was sitting there next to her. As she was thinking of Jer, her phone started vibrating.

Jer: Jeremiah is in the shower so I stole his phone

Steph: Hi, David

Jer/David: How'd you know it was me?

Steph rolled her eyes. David was the only sibling of Jer's that was stealing his phone. Most days David had stolen Jer's phone to tell Steph something embarrassing. After a few texts back and forth about David's family back in Chile, suddenly the texts seemed to change.

J/D: Can I ask you some questions? 

S: um sure

J/D: Are you fond of my brother?

S: yes

J/D: Do you miss my brother?

Steph was shocked by the question. Once asked, it was obvious that she was missing Jer, yet she hadn't thought about it in those terms yet. It came as a shock. Steph didn't miss people. The only person she had ever missed before was Will. She didn't even miss her parents when she first went to college.

S: yes

J/D: Then why aren't you dating him?

David was dropping bombs all over the place! All of Steph's excuses flew out of her mind. Why wasn't she dating Jer? She knew her reasons, but they seemed like halfhearted excuses now. 

S: I don't know