e it’s just you I’m missing。
Maybe it was the promise of Vanessa or the hiss of the radiator in the corner or the chipped mug he’d drunk millions of cups of coffee out of； but suddenly； he could write。 Dan grinned to himself； adrenaline rushing from writing his first almost…poem in months。 He was back。
And better than ever？
“Daniel！” Rufus Humphrey boomed as he strode into the living room from his office。 He wore a pair of paint…stained blue sweatpants that read BROADWAY BOWLING LEAGUE down the leg and a stretched…out pink T…shirt that said CRUISE TO LOSE below a picture of Richard Simmons。 His wiry gray hair was held back with a red velvet bow； left over from Christmas。 “It’s too quiet around here since Jenny left for Bermuda or Burundi or wherever she went with her fancy Waverly friends。 Is it just me； or is Jenny noisier than before？”
“Probably。” Dan shrugged。 Jenny was currently in the Bahamas with her boarding school friend； the governor of Georgia’s daughter。 When Dan left in August； Jenny was still his little sister。 But she seemed to have matured six years in her four short months at Waverly。 Now she was self…assured and confident and didn’t cross her arms over her chest all the time。
Rufus leaned down and picked up the notebook from the coffee table。 “What is this？” he asked； flipping through pages。 “‘Doc Marten feet；’” Rufus intoned； as if reciting a monologue。 Dan cringed。 Rufus was an editor of lesser Beat poets and had always taken special interest and pride in Dan’s literary acplishments。 He suddenly felt ashamed that the only thing he’d written in the past three months was a haiku。 He’d anonymously posted it on the door of the dorm bathroom； asking his hall mates to please not pee on the floor。
“You know； this isn