But this, it felt too normal. I found myself scanning the crowd for Sarah, as if I expected to see her waiting for me, the way she had been every other morning I'd walked into this school. Her bright purple backpack slung over one shoulder, a Pop-Tart in hand. And she'd always have an extra one for me, because she knew I skipped breakfast in favor of sleeping in. Of course, Sarah and her backpack and her Pop-Tarts weren't there. So I just stood in the middle of the cafeteria with no idea what to do or where to go. That's when I saw the plaque, a large, shiny black square hung up on a pillar in the center of the room. It was the only real physical change to this part of the school, and I almost hadn't noticed it. I took a few steps forward, looking up at it, and wishing I had the strength not to. The plaque was engraved with their names. All nine victims, listed in alphabetical order. I took them in one at a time, even though I already knew them by heart. Kevin Brantley Brenna DuVal Jared Grayson Rosi Martinez Sarah McHale Richard McMullen Thomas Nolan Aiden Stroud Essie Taylor And beneath their names was a quote from Emily Dickinson: "Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality." I hated that quote, because it was a lie. Even if love were immortality, I couldn't help thinking that eventually everyone who loved you would be dead, too. And then what did any of it matter? It didn't. Quotes like those were just there to make the living feel better. Another way to help us ignore the fact that oblivion was inevitable. Excerpted from That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.