That was the thing about being alone, in theory or in principle. Whatever happened - good, bad, or anywhere in between - it was always, if nothing else, all your own.

Outside, the ocean was crashing, waves hitting sand, then pulling back to sea. I thought of everything being washed away, again and again. We make such messes in this life, both accidentally and on purpose. But wiping the surface clean doesn't really make anything neater. It just masks what is below. It's only when you really dig down deep, go underground, that you can see who you really are.

It’s the things you fight for and struggle with before earning that have the greatest worth.

A lot can change between planning something and actually doing it. But maybe all that really matters is that anything is different at all.

Each time, I think I'm never going to write another book. It never gets easier.

You know, I think I knew you for about three weeks before I ever really saw you smile. And then one day, Morgan said something and you laughed, and I remember thinking it was really cool because it meant something. You're not the kind of person who smiles for nothing, Colie. I have to earn every one.

"It's gonna be okay," I said. It was the first time in a long time that I believed it. "It will."