I write thank-you notes the minute I throw the wrapping paper away.

Welcome to adulthood," she said. "It sucks as much as high school.

I'd been through so much, falling short again and again, and only recently had found a place where who I was, right now, was enough.

You, have this whole tall, dark stranger thing going on. Not to mention the tortured artist bit. And you, have that whole blonde cool and collected perfect smart thing going on. You're the boy all the girls want to rebel with. You, are the unattainable girl in homeroom who never gives a guy the time of day.

I'd known enough people for every minute of the day, and yet still didn't have anyone as my two a.m.

How weird was it that so many bits and pieces, all diverse, could make something whole. Something with potential. 'Perfect.

It all depends on how you choose to live it. It's like forever, always changing.