I have always been aware of how I break. I know what kind of situations will break me. I know what kind of people will do it. I know how much it will hurt.

You don't know, but I'm noticing.

It's one thing to fall in love. It's another to feel someone else fall in love with you, and to feel a responsibility toward that love.

I couldn't fault her for believing, because I had to imagine i was nice to have that illusion still intact.

it's the belief, not the words, that mean everything. it's the floating.

I find my greatest strength in wanting to be strong. I find my greatest bravery in deciding to be brave. I don't know if I've ever realized it before,[...] I think we both realize it now. If there's no feeling of fear, then there's no need for courage.

exemplar, n. It's always something we have to negotiate- the face that my parents are happy, and yours have never been. I have something to live up to, and if I fail, I still have a family to welcome me home. You have a storyline to rewrite, and a lack of faith that it can ever be done. You love my parents, I know. But you never get too close. You never truly believe there aren't bad secrets underneath.