THERE were a few things I've learned about Blake these past few days: one, he was selfless, always more concerned about the wellbeing of the girls and I than his own and I loved that about him. Two, he makes the best waffles ever. And three, he was really competitive.

"Damn it," he says as I beat him in 8 ball for what has to be the fifth time.

I was at the Harper residence because the girls wanted to have another sleepover. Blake and I had been playing iMessage games for the last hour and despite the fact that he's beat me in every other game, 8 ball happened...