I am adrenaline slammed into inertia: a fast car stuck in traffic.

Neither sleet nor rain nor a half inch of snow will compel me to dress like a lumberjack.

You?' is all I can manage to choke out. 'Always me,' she replies softly, bashfully. 'Who else?

Who says I breathe music? Who says I even breathe?

In the calculus of feelings, you never really know how one person's absence will affect you more than another's.

You were so busy trying to be my savior that you left me all alone.

Then the musical instruments appeared. Dad’s snare drum from the house, Henry’s guitar from his car, Adam’s spare guitar from my room. Everyone was jamming together, singing songs: Dad’s songs, Adam’s songs, old Clash songs, old Wipers songs. Teddy was dancing around, the blond of his hair reflecting the golden flames. I remember watching it all and getting that tickling in my chest and thinking to myself: This is what happiness feels like.