The Upside of Falling

High school senior Becca starts her day by reading a book near the football field where the football team practices morning drills. Becca’s parents are divorced, but she loves reading romance novels and appreciates that her books always end happily. In Becca’s English class, the students read and discuss Romeo and Juliet. Brett Wells, the handsome football team captain, enters and garners the admiration of the entire room. Becca claims that “half the student body [is] in love with [Brett]” (4), and his family is very wealthy. The teacher, Miss Copper, asks Becca to share her thoughts on Romeo and Juliet. Becca begins to rant to the class about the impracticality of love, but she is interrupted when her ex-friend Jenny points out that it’s “easy to ridicule [love] when [Becca’s] never felt it” (7). Becca notices Brett staring at her, and when class ends, Jenny tells Becca that she reads too many romance novels and is setting herself up for disappointment when it comes to real relationships. Becca blurts out a lie: She is in a relationship. Jenny is shocked, and when she asks who Becca is dating, Brett suddenly appears at Becca’s side and wraps an arm around her waist.