First you find out what you have, Dad would say. Then you figure out how to make it work for what you need, 'cause you don't get what you want. You get just what you have and no more.

Next to her, even the prettiest djamphir boys looked gawky.

It truly sucks to doubt your friends when you only have one or two of them, I realized.

Would I be as strong as that once I did that thing Christophe was talking about? Blooming? Would I smell like a bakery item? Or was that just him? Did he use pie filling for cologne?

I sensed him leaning forward. It's weird to feel someone's attention on you that way, like you're the only thing in the world they're listening to. Most of the time people are distracted, or just thinking about what they're going to say next.

Besides, the normal people here wouldn’t see it. That was what “different” meant. It’s just another word for lonely.

He stared at his hot chocolate like it held the secret to the universe.