There was a moment in between, a moment flung free in the midst of the transition, when he made contact. That was the moment she would dwell on.

How sad it was, Carmen thought, that you acted awful when you were desperately sad and hurt and wanted to be loved. How tragic then, the way everyone avoided you and tiptoed around you when you really needed them. Carmen knew this vicious predicament as well as anyone in the world. How bitter it felt when you acted badly to everyone and ended up hating yourself the most.

I allowed myself to suffer how jarringly destructive the present feels and how fragile the past.

Love who you love while you have them. That's all you can do. Let them go when you must. If you know how to love, you'll never run out.

She loved her mother and depended on her mother, and yet every single word her mother said annoyed her.

Sometimes it is a relief to be invisible

You'll turn out ordinary if you're not careful.