Every time I try to set something in Chicago, I get intimidated by 'Augie March.' It's easy to set something in Indianapolis - we don't have 'Augie March' here. But I love writing about Chicago, and I love being there and imagining lives in Chicago. I hope to set something there in the future, but it's intimidating.

And as paralyzing and upsetting as all the never agains were, the final leaving felt perfect. Pure. The most distilled possible form of liberation.

It took me a sleeve of Girl Scout Thin Mints and forty minutes to get over that boy.

I ran like a cheetah - well, like a cheetah that smoked too much.

I worked hard to meet his eyes, even though they were the kind of pretty that's hard to look at.

I've gotten thrown out of thirty-seven straight games,' he said. 'Once or twice, I've had to go really crazy. I ran onto the court with eleven seconds left once and stole the ball from the other team. It wasn't pretty. But, you know. I have a streak to maintain.

Anything that happens all at once is just as likely to unhappen all at once, you know?