You make yourself strong because it's expected of you. You become confident because someone beside you is unsure. You turn into the person others need you to be.

I wish I could tell him I understand: the higher you raise your hopes, the farther you have to fall.

You can believe something really hard,' Faith says, 'and still be wrong.

Eric understands that the world is rarelythe way it is supposed to be. And he knows that, given the chance, we don't have to wait for someone to make messes of our lives. We do a good enough job, ourselves.

Do you remember the summer we signed you up for camp? And the night before you left, you said you've changed your mind and wanted to stay home? I told you to to get a seat on the left side of the bus, so when you pulled away, you'd be able to look back and see me there waiting for you." I press her hand against my cheek, hard enough to leave a mark. "You get that same seat in Heaven. One where you can watch me, watching you.

You can be strapped to the most stable chair and still feel the world give way beneath you.

she told me she'd be a phoenix." The image of the mythical creature rising from the ashes glitters in my mind. "They don't really exist." "She said that depends on whether or not there's someone who can see them.