Book excerpt: Words have the power to heal "We're not friends. We're just volunteer partners. Once our shift is over, we don't know each other." "I hate you sometimes." "What about the rest of the time?" " . . . the opposite, I guess." Heartsick from the death of his mother and heartsore from breaking up with his girlfriend, Dee Warrington is barely getting by. Eccentric with mad style, Naya’s had straight As since the seventh grade, and when she makes a pinky promise, she means it. Both find themselves at Salvation Hill Nursing Home, volunteering during their summer break. There they meet Marie Delden—a former aspiring poet with a mysterious backstory. As Dee and Naya read through Marie’s poems, they begin to unravel Marie’s past . . . and discover their own future. Inspired by a true story, Warona Jolomba shares a tale of love and loss, and a bond that forms in the unlikeliest of places.