What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I read a book in 2004, could be published earlier. It was a collection of stories. Not too long, or big. I remember there being a palm on the front cover, with other things, and a blue hue to it. I only remember one of the short stories. A teen, possibly female, jumps off a bridge, to find out what lies after death, or the meaning of life. She wakes up, with giant aliens looming over her, on their ship. One defends her, saying that her killing herself, to find truth, is worth something. Others disagree. That alien ends up staying behind, on earth, and befriending the girl. When it dies, a tower is built around it, to hide it's out-stretched arm. Some say it was the alien reaching out, to his alien kin, but the girl hopes it was the alien flipping them off. I believe that's the ending.

Does anything on the YA Short Stories & Collections list look familiar?

Angela, what was the common theme of the short stories?
Written by a single or multiple authors?
Is the palm a hand or tree on the cover?

I copied some book details to the topic header. Feel free to edit it.

I found the book. It was Altered Voices: 9 Science Fiction Stories by

Lucy Sussex

Glad you found it!

Altered Voices for the link.

Great! Glad you found your book, Angela. Thanks for the update.