we love what we love and who we love who we love and why we love why we love and find a falling shoelace knotted and strung between the fingers of strangers

And you couldn’t control who you loved, even if you wanted to. That had been Genevieve’s problem with Ethan Carter Wate. It had been Uncle Macon’s problem with Lila, Link’s with Ridley. Probably even Ridley’s with Link. Love was how all these knots started to unravel in the first place.

red plastic rain her tears stain

There were only two kinds of people in our town. ―The stupid and the stuck- ―The ones who are bound to stay or too dumb to go. Everyone else finds a way out.

I care. They bother me. And that's why I'm stupid. That makes me exponentially more stupid than stupid. I'm stupid to the power of stupid.

Are you kidding? I'm supposed to put my books in this filthy tin coffin?

When we were together, she turned me completely inside out.