On Wednesday his heart stalled

so he put himself in neutral

and told her to get out and push.

 

Said the last shotgun rider left him with a bang—“right here,”

thumb up

then down, forefinger out—middle of his chest.

 

She was a pretty little thing

with the strength of a field mouse.

“You’re like the monkey bars,”

her sister Abby would say. “People always slipping off,”

sweaty first date palms

“Sometimes the strong ones make it across.”

 

But he wasn’t a date, just a friend—just

an ’07 yellow Camaro driver

nicknamed “Buttercup,”

just a Transformers enthusiast,

just a Paper Mario champion,

just 140,000 hairs on a head.

 

And she wasn’t a girl,

just an oar used to propel himself

further down the river.

 

 

 

Sophia Hu is a 15-year-old high school student with a passion for poetry and creative writing. Growing up in East Brunswick, New Jersey, she developed a voracious appetite for reading and wishes she were Junie B. Jones. She also loves to play golf, take photos, and volunteer in her community.

 

 

Amanda Mabel is a fashion and portrait photographer living in Sydney, Australia. Originally from Singapore, she moved to Perth in 2011, then Sydney in 2012. She is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) (Honours) at the University of Sydney. In her free time, she loves taking photographs, travelling to beautiful places, and drinking tea. She also happens to blog for Vogue Australia Spy Style. She maintains a website at www.amandamabel.com and can be found on:  Instagram  Facebook  LinkedIn  Pinterest  Tumblr  Bloglovin Flickr.