Her friendship . . . still existed, as if it was a living, breathing thing, something that came to life the moment it happened and didn't just go away because they no longer acknowledged it.

He was the only person in the world she was tongue-tied around, and yet the only person she really wanted to talk to.

When you have to do something, you have to do it. Putting it off only makes it worse. Believe me, I know.

If anyone had been paying attention to the signs, they would have realized that air turns white when things are about to change, that paper cuts mean there's more to what's written on the page than meets the eye, and that birds are always out to protect you from things you don't see.

Adolescence is like having only enough light to see the step directly in front of you.

Some men you know are Southern before they ever say a word," Julia said as she and Emily watched Sawyer's progress, helpless, almost as if they couldn't look away. "They remind you of something good--picnics or carrying sparklers around at night. Southern men will hold doors open for you, they'll hold you after you yell at them, and they'll hold on to their pride no matter what. Be careful what they tell you, though. They have a way of making you believe anything, because they say it that way.

You can't change where you come from, but you can change where you go from here. Just like a book. If you don't like the ending, you make up a new one.