Every other person in the world would have looked at it and thought, Max would hate this. It was girly. It was beautiful. It wasn't made of titanium and black leather with spikes on it. But it seemed exactly right, in a weird, heart-fluttery kind of way. And I really loved it.

When its true, when it's right, love can give you the kind of joy that you can't get from any other experience.

It was the building from the drawing in my brain. And if you don’t think that’s a weird sentence, maybe you should reread it.

I was always a good student, but I didn't read that much until I was 18 and I was working my way through college.

Fang," I said, my voice breaking. "Just live, okay? Live and be okay." With no warning, I leaned down and kissed his mouth, just like that. "Ow," he said, touching his split lip, then he and I stared at each other in shock.

On the other hand, even a big, '80s love van was less noticeable than six flying kids and their talking dog. So there you go.

Did I want a dog? No. Did I need a dog? Also no. We were six kids running for our lives, not knowing where our next meal was coming from. Could we afford to feed a dog? Wait for it—no.