“That’s right. I’m sorry, it slipped my mind for a second. I’m just so amazed that a 17 year old girl wrote all this.”

“I surprised anyone liked it. I started writing for the fame but then it just became my way of expressing myself. I find it…...fun, for a lack of a better word.”

Oprah continued with the usual question you’d ask an author. Things like, “what inspired you?”. Then she brought up Dane. They only talked briefly about that.

After that, Renee was on all kinds of talk shows. She even wrote more poems and published a second book. They were selling fast. It was like she stole every American’s heart. But sure enough, she had to go home some time.

When she got there she wasn’t expecting her mother’s reaction. “You’ve hardly spoken to me in months!”

“I’m sorry. I was all over t.v. if you really wanted to hear me. And you could have called. I called you but you never answered!”

“I’ve been busy!”

“Yeah. Too busy to talk to a daughter who was seriously injured not too long ago! I hate you!”