From what I could see, the hardwood was just fine. Then again, I'd just see a windmill and an open sky, too, never feeling the need to conquer either. You think it's all obvious and straightforward, this world. But really, it's all in who is doing the looking.

I eased back on my elbows, tilting my head back to look up at the sky, which was pinkish, streaked with red. This was the time we knew best, that stretch of day going from dusk to dark. It seemed like we were always waiting for nighttime here. I could feel the trampoline easing up and down, moved by our own breathing, bringing us in small increments up and back from the sky as the colors faded, slowly, and the stars began to show themselves.

I bet you can't eat ten bananas!" "I bet you're right.

I always wrote about girls that went to the beach and had that summer that changed everything. So I was interested in what it would be like to live in a tourist town where everyone has these life changing experiences, but your whole life is there.

You can't just plan a moment when things get back on track, just as you can't plan the moment you lose your way in the first place.

Like a blinking cursor on an empty page, it was just the first thing. The beginning of the beginning. But at least it was done.

You could just tell when a person belonged somewhere. That is something you can't fake, no matter how hard you try