Nolan didn't have any spare leaf paper, so he flipped to the nearest blank page in his physics notebook. THE GOOD THINGS, he wrote at the top in large letters.

He leaned back against his bed and bit on the inside of his cheek, the butt of the pen bouncing against the page. He started to write.

1. Greg

2. Caleb

He paused. What else?

3. Video games

4. Cereal

5. Pizza

✝

Nolan collapsed into bed, his eyes slipping shut.

He wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep, clothes and all. He'd been ready to go back to sleep since his alarm clock went off that morning, but after English class and four hours at work, it was all he could do not to pass out.

But, he couldn't. Not yet.

He grappled blindly at the floor, stopping when his fingers made contact with the rough, worn material of Nathan's Bible. He picked it up, rubbed his eyes, and opened to his current page.

✝

Willow checked in once a week, to see how he was doing. When she called that Sunday, he asked, "What do you do to stay positive?"

"Christian music helps," she said.

"Hmm."

"I like to listen to it first thing in the morning, when I'm getting ready," she said. "It helps start the day off right, you know?"

He didn't. "Okay," he said. "I'll give it a shot."

✝

Nolan dropped his bag onto his bed and looked around at his room. Cluttered. "Cluttered space, cluttered mind," a personal growth YouTuber had said.

He sighed. Okay, he thought.

He picked up a shirt. And then another. One step at a time.

✝

Hey

Nolan's leg bounced, teeth on his knuckle. Would he respond? Nolan couldn't blame him if he didn—

NOLAN!!!!!

He smiled.