I See London, I See France

The Basics: The canals of Venice are a wonder to behold.
There are no cars in Venice. There are no roads. Want to get somewhere? Walk, take a boat, or swim. Just kidding. Don’t swim. The water’s disgusting.
This place takes canals to a whole new level. They’re in and around all the crumbling houses and buildings. Water, water everywhere.
“Are the apartments built into the water?” Leela asks.
“I think they’re little tiny islands,” Kat says.
“Whatever you do,” I respond, “DO NOT FALL IN.”

Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.”

Another American,” I say. “Excellent.”
“He’s Israeli, actually,” Eli says. “My aunt met her husband while backpacking in Israel and stayed there. He’s traveling for the year. He just got out of the army.”
“Hear that?” I whisper to Leela. “Another Israeli. You get a second chance.”
Two hours later, when Yosef finally joins us—that must have been a super long shower—we haven’t moved from our spots. Yosef has the same round face and one dimple as his cousin, but looks like he’s in his early twenties, has a s

“I know, sweetie.” I put my arm around her.
We pass a small restaurant called Meredith’s Tea Shoppe. The menu says they have high tea for twelve pounds.
“Next time we eat there,” I say.
“Deal.”
I feel a drop of water on my forehead.
“Oh no,” she says. “I forgot my umbrella!”
“I have mine,” I say, and pull it out.
“I have a great idea for a picture. Open the umbrella and stand like Mary Poppins.”
“No,” I say.
“Fine, then I’ll do it,” she says.
Snap. Post.
She looks. “I need to reapply my lipstick

Leela takes a selfie of us looking at the menus.
Omigod, I think, the prices registering. This is nothing like Starbucks. “Leela. This place is a fortune. This is like my whole sixty bucks in one day.”
“I guess we’re not getting the champagne?”
“No! Although I kind of want the champagne. You drink champagne?”
“Of course. It’s white wine, isn’t it? So we are getting the champagne?”

We go way back,” I say. “All the way to row thirty. Hi there, Jackson. We missed you on our flight.”
“I flew from Vancouver,” he says, turning toward me. “But I hear yours was a party.”
“It was definitely wild and crazy,” I say, smiling.
He smiles back, a

her? It was only four and a half weeks. I looked back at the bookstore. Eleanor, the owner of Books in Wonderland, wouldn’t mind. She had enough extra staff.
I blew out a breath. “How much would the trip cost exactly?”

be so proud of me. I stayed in Rome by MYSELF. And last night I kissed a HOT ITALIAN BARTENDER NAMED LORENZO. HE HAD A SCOOTER. GO CHECK MY INSTAGRAM

“You won’t have to worry about me,” he says.

So,” he says.
“So.”
“I’ll miss you,” I tell him. My eyes prick with tears. Crap.
He pulls me into a hug.
I sob.
“This is stupid,” he says. His voice is shaking. “We can still talk, can’t we? And text? And see each other? I want to see you again.”
My heart thumps. “How?”
“I don’t know,” he says. “We can’t just end this. Do you want this? I want this. If you want