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.

I know how difficult it can be when the image you've had of something doesn't match its reality; when the friend beside you turns into a monster.

How do you tell an adult that maybe everything wrong in the world stems from the fact that she's stopped believing the impossible can happen?

Like the teens I worked with, I understood the need for miracles--they kept reality from paralyzing you

They ask, how could this happen here? Well. How could it not happen here?

There are so many ways to betray someone. You can whisper behind his back. You can deceive him on purpose. You can deliver him into the hands of his enemy, when he trusts you. You can break a promise. The question is, if you do any of those things, are you also betraying yourself?

To be truly popular, it has to look like something you are, when in reality, it's what you make yourself.