He responded a few minutes later. Okay. I wrote back. Okay. He responded: Oh, my God, stop flirting with me!

In the end the listening exposes you even more than it exposes the people you're trying to listen to.

You have a choice in this world, I believe, about how to tell sad stories, and we made the funny choice.

I thought being an adult meant knowing what you believe, but that has not been my experience.

I'll just go over to the Duke's," I said. "Her parents already told me I could stay there. I'll go over there and open all my presents, and talk about how my parents neglect me, and then maybe the Duke will give me some of her presents because she feels so bad about how my mom doesn't love me.

Maybe some people need to believe in a proper and omnipotent God to pray, but I don't.

Maybe this time she wanted to be found, and to be found by me.