Her life was perfect. But as was often the case, the rest of us were still adjusting.

I don't lie." "You don't lie," I repeated. "That's what I said." "Ever." "Nope." Sure you don't, I thought.

I tried to hold myself apart, showing only what I wanted, doling out bits and pieces of who I was. But that only works out for so long. Eventually, even the smallest fragments can't help but, make a whole.

What you need, what you deserve, is a guy who adores you for what you are. Who doesn't see you as a project, but a prize. you know?

I thought again how you could never really know what you were seeing with just a glance, in motion, passing by. Good or bad, right or wrong. There was always so much more.

But that was the problem with having the answers. It was only after you gave them that you realized they sometimes weren't what people wanted to hear.

It's so, so stupid what we do to ourselves because we're afraid. It's so stupid.