What Remains

Gr 9 Up—As long as Cal can remember, he has been part of a trio: Cal, Spencer, and Lizzie. Cal and Spencer have known each other since preschool, and Lizzie came into their lives in first grade. It was obvious even then that Lizzie needed protecting and the boys took the job seriously, often helping Lizzie escape her drunken mother and her string of abusive boyfriends. Now in high school, they are still close, but the dynamic is different; they love one another, but Lizzie is in love with Spencer, even though she knows Spencer is gay. Lizzie's late night admission that she and Spencer slept together once makes Cal feel like an outsider for the first time, although he tries to hide it. Everything changes one afternoon when Cal's car is hit at a high speed by a distracted driver. Spencer only receives superficial bumps and bruises, Lizzie is thrown from the car and killed, and Cal is injured severely enough to require a heart transplant. He is given Lizzie's heart and starts hearing her voice in his head. He also has dreams that he is sure are of Lizzie's life, and he finds himself with some of her artistic talent. It is his inability to overcome his fear of driving that convinces him to start seeing a psychiatrist, and he slowly starts healing and learning to forgive himself.