[S]he leans into this guy and rocks her head like I’m making this music for her, when if I could, I would take it all away and give her as much silence as she’s given me pain.

I feel like you may be a special and kind person. And I would like to make it my business to know special and kind people. Especially if they are boys my age.

I wanted to talk to someone. But who? It’s moments like this, when you need someone the most, that your world seems smallest.

I thought about the bigger picture of my life, and about the people—and particularly the guys—I would encounter during my lifetime. How would I ever know when that moment was right, when expectation met anticipation and formed … connection?

I particularly loved the adjective bookish, which I found other people used about as often as ramrod or chum or teetotaler.

Better to end this dream before it becomes a nightmare.

Therefore. Ergo. Erg. Argh. Ugh.