She said that by introducing me to all these great things, Mary Elizabeth gained a “superior position” that she wouldn’t need if she was confident about herself. She also said that people who try to control situations all the time are afraid that if they don’t, nothing will work out the way they want.

I don't know if it's better to be close with your daughter or make sure that she has a better life than you do.

And I wonder if anyone is really happy. I hope they are. I really hope they are.

Even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there.

It’s strange how things can change back as suddenly as they changed originally. When one thing happens and suddenly, things are back to normal.

There were other stories and other names. Second Base Stace, who had breasts in fourth grade and let some of the boys feel them. Vincent, who took acid and tried to flush a sofa down the toilet. Sheila, who allegedly masturbated with a hot dog and had to go to the emergency room. The list went on and on.

And we could all sit around and wonder and feel bad about each other and blame a lot of people for what they did or didn’t do or what they didn’t know. I don’t know. I guess there would always be someone to blame.