And I kissed him back so hard, like I was trying to merge our bodies through our lips.

I miss my father. I miss my grandfather. I miss my home. And I miss my mother. But the thing is, for almost three years, I managed not to miss any of them. And then I spent that one day with that one girl. One day ... It was like she gave me her whole self, and somehow as a result, I gave her more of myself than I even realized there was to give. But then she was gone. And only after I'd been filled up by her, by that day, did I understand how empty I really was.

Because that day with Willem, I may have pretended to be someone named Lulu, but I had never been more honest in my life. Maybe that's the thing with liberation. It comes at a price.

Sarcasm creates a chasm between yourself and others.

You don’t share me. You own me.

I don't know who I am. Or maybe I do know who I am and I just don't want to be her anymore.

Sleep would be so welcome. A warm blanket of black to erase everything else. Sleep without dreams.