She sometimes thought she was going crazy. Her first thought when she woke up was always how to get him out of her thoughts. And she would keep watch, hoping to see him next door, while plotting ways to never have to see him again.

Her life was monotonous, but it kept her out of trouble. . . . This, her father would say, was called being an adult.

There was a certain power beautiful mothers held over their less beautiful daughters.

When you're a teenager, your friends are your life. When you grow up, friendships seem to get pushed further and further back, until it seems like a luxury, a frivolity, like a bubble bath.

It took me a long time to realize this: We get to choose what defines us.

Snow flurries began to fall and they swirled around people's legs like house cats. It was magical, this snow globe world.

Because he knew the best way to get what he wanted was to break down what made us strongest. And our friendships were what made us strong.