Jonah and Piper have been best friends since sixth grade, but lately something has felt different. Jonah first noticed it in October, when Piper laughed at something he said. He suddenly couldn't stop thinking about it for the rest of the day.
乔纳和派珀从六年级起就是最好的朋友，但最近有些东西变得不一样了。乔纳第一次察觉是在十月，当时派珀被他说的一句话逗笑了。那之后一整天，他都忍不住一直想着这件事。
He hasn't told anyone, not even his older brother, because saying it out loud would make it real. And if it's real, he might ruin the one friendship that has mattered most to him for years.
他谁也没告诉，连哥哥也没说，因为一说出口，这件事就成了真的。而一旦成真，他可能会毁掉这段多年来对他最重要的友谊。
Everything gets harder in March, when Piper mentions that her family is moving to another state this summer. She says it quickly, almost like she's trying to get the sentence over with.
到了三月，一切变得更难了，因为派珀提到，她家今年夏天要搬到另一个州去。她说得很快，几乎像是想赶紧把这句话说完。
"That's, like, three months away," Jonah says, trying to sound calm.
“那就是，大概三个月以后了，”乔纳努力装出平静的样子说。
"I know," Piper says. "I keep forgetting it's actually happening."
“我知道，”派珀说，“我老是忘记这件事是真的要发生了。”
That night, Jonah can't stop thinking about all the things he has never said to her. If he says nothing, she'll leave without ever knowing how he feels. He isn't sure he can live with that kind of regret. But if he tells her and she doesn't feel the same way, it could get awkward fast.
那天晚上，乔纳满脑子都是他从没对她说过的话。如果什么都不说，她就会在不知道他心意的情况下离开。他不确定自己能否承受那样的遗憾。可如果他说了，而她并没有同样的感觉，事情可能会很快变得尴尬。
He goes back and forth for almost a week. He writes and rewrites the same short note in his notebook. Finally, on a Thursday afternoon, he decides that saying something honest matters more than staying comfortable.
他犹豫了将近一周。他在笔记本上写了又改，改了又写，始终是那几句简短的话。终于，在一个星期四的下午，他决定，说一句诚实的话，比保持舒适更重要。
He doesn't say it out loud, not yet. Instead, he folds the note carefully and slides it through the vents of Piper's locker. He does it just before the last bell rings. It just says: "You've mattered more to me than any other friend I've ever had. I don't want you to leave without knowing that. Can we talk after school?"
他还没有当面说出口，暂时不会。他把纸条仔细折好，在最后一遍铃响之前，从通风缝里塞进了派珀的储物柜。上面只写着：“你对我来说，比我有过的任何朋友都重要。我不想你在不知道这件事的情况下离开。放学后我们能聊聊吗？”
He spends the rest of the day barely listening in class. He watches the clock and rehearses what he might say, if she actually shows up.
那天剩下的时间，他几乎没怎么听课。他盯着时钟，演练着如果她真的来了，他该说些什么。
At three o'clock, he waits by the bike racks, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. A few minutes later, he sees Piper walking toward him, the folded note held carefully in one hand.
三点钟，他在自行车架旁等着，双手深深插在口袋里。几分钟后，他看到派珀朝他走来，一只手小心地拿着那张折好的纸条。
