Susane Colasanti

“Our destination isn't clear. All I know is that I want to get there together. The Unknown is scary. I'll always have some fear about what's going to happen next. The thing is, the unknown can also be exciting. Your life could change in an instant anytime. But sometimes, that change is the best thing that will ever happen to you. Maybe I dont' have to know what my fate is to know that everything will be okay. Maybe the not knowing is how we move forward. Wherever I'm headed, I know it's exactly where I'm supposed to be.”

“Somehow, I manage to open the door. And smile at the enormous bunch of balloons Erin has for me. And act like my normal self (or at least what I think my normal self acts like).”

“The first thing we saw at the pet store was this scary white cat sitting on his own pedestal. He fluffed out his fur in a huff of attitude. His weird eyes were like lasers, way more expressive than human eyes. It felt like he could read my soul. His eyes were all, Yeah. I know you. I know everything you’re thinking. The cat was acting all exotic and important. Which I guess is what happens when you’re put on your own pedestal.”

“Is your dad still in a huffufle about it?” I ask. “Oh, he’s huffufled, all right.”

“I’m trying to paint an underwater ocean scene. It’s just not working. My queen angelfish is supposed to have these bright yellow eyes and electric-blue stripes along the edge of her fin. Instead, it looks like I’m trying to paint a fried egg with some blue bacon. Maybe I can pass it off as postmodern.”

“We had algebra together, right?” “Yeah.” That was two years ago. I only vaguely remember him. Something about circles. “Didn’t you draw perfect circles?”“That’s what I’m known for.” “Really?” Erin goes, all excited about the circles. Jason says, “No, it’s just this one time I went up to the board and I had to draw a circle and it came out really . . . round.” “Which is always a good thing, when you’re drawing a circle,” I say. “Exactly.” Jason smiles at me. “It was more than one time,” I remind him. For some reason, it’s all coming back to me now. “It was more like three or four times.” “What can I say?” Jason goes. “You got me.”Now we’re both smiling.”

“To bad guys arent like Mr. Potato head where you can pick and chose which parts you want.”

“Waiting for my real life to start is no excuse to waste the life I have right now.”

“I have no interest in maintaining a relationship with someone who didn’t loveme enough to stick around.”

“And even now, even after all I put him through, he's saving me. I've been trying to find my way into the light for so long, and he just comes along and takes me there.”

“I sort of lean back into him. Like I'm melting into him. And in that instant, I finally know what it feels like to be whole. I've been wishing for my life to get better. Now I realize that James can take me to a place where everything's the way it should be. He can definitely take me there.”

“Getting dumped is crazy times. Like … what? You’re supposed to instantly turn off all your emotions just because he says it’s over? You’re supposed to go on with your life like nothing happened?”

“And yeah, it got better. My stomach eventually went back to normal. I didn’t cry every day. But my heart. My heart will always be broken.”

“But the thought of moving on from something I never had is depressing.”

“Its so weird how connecting with someone in a different setting can bring out this whole other side of them. Like how certain places inspire us to act in ways we normally wouldn't.”

“Never give up on your dreams. No matter how many people say it’s impossible, no matter how difficult your journey is, you can create your ideal life. Your heart’s desires can become reality. Make things better now by taking steps every day to get closer to the life you want. And never, ever give up.”

“No two people can see the world in the same way. No matter what you’re looking at, no one is seeing it the same way you are.”

“but then you realize that this ‘whole package’ everyone’s looking for is unattainable. No one can be everything you want them to be.”

“How could something that felt so right actually be so wrong?”

“But life’s never easy when you need it to be.”

“It’s like once everyone decides who you are, you’re locked into their version of you and that’s it.”

“The unknown is scary the Unknown can also be exciting. Your life could change in an instant anytime. But sometimes, that change is the best thing that will ever happen to you.Maybe I don’t have to know what my fate is to know that everything will be okay. Maybe the not knowing is how we move forward. Wherever I’m headed, I know it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

“How can someone who means so much to a person mean nothing the next day?”

“My hair is so scary that if you saw it walking down the street, you'd cross to the other side. This humidity is not helping. It's just an excuse for my hair to let its frizz flag fly.”

“I deserve to be happy. I'm sad it took me so long to get that. But I get it now.”

“Still hiding and afraid to let go. Waiting for you to find me uncover me and show me the way.”

“It’s interesting how you can know someone for a long time, and then one day you just see them in this whole different way.”

“Your life can end in a flash before you even have time to know it’s over.There is no safe. There is no control.”

“The only person I can count on is myself. It's up to me to create the life I want. I can't blame my parents or Scott or anyone else for the way things are.”

“When someone rips your heart out, there's nothing you can do to change how you feel about them. You just have to keep feeling that way until it goes away. Until it never does.”

“For kids stuck in small towns everywhere who feel like you'll never escape, I hear you. We are all connected. We're all in this together. You are not alone.No matter what happens, never *ever* give up. Happiness is not limited. There's enough for everyone. You can start right now, today, to move toward a happier life. Your life is shaped by your choices. Make ones that will help you get where you want to go.Find your place to belong. It may not be a physical place. At least, not yet. Maybe your place is somewhere you let your imagination take you. Maybe it's your vision of the way your ideal life will be.Eventually, you'll find a real place that feels like home. Your whole world will open up in ways you kept believing were possible. And you'll be so happy you held on long enough to make it there.So let's do this thing. Let's own what makes up unique. Let's refuse to allow haters to stop us from moving forward. Let's turn our dreams into reality.Starting now.”

“If you see someone being bullied, make it stop. Why is that so hard for us to do?”

“I’ve already lived through the worst time of my life. So I know that whatever happens to me from now on, nothing will ever be as bad as it was back then. That makes me happy.”

“No one should be ashamed to speak up. Shame makes it easy for neglect and abuse and bullying to stay huddled together in their dark corner. It’s time to throw the switch on this spotlight. If I can inspire other kids to speak their truth, then everything I’ve been through will have been worth it.”

“Life would be so much easier if fictional boys were real.”

“Happiness is not limited. There’s enough for everyone.”

“TOP FIVE WAYS PEOPLE CAN SURPRISE YOU5. Just when you think they’ve given up on you, they prove that they never will.4. They find a way to speak up after staying silent for so long.3. They defend you when you least expect it.2. By showing you how life can get better now.1. By helping you find a place to belong.”

“Love is never guaranteed. Love is a risk we take because we hope it will make us happy.”

“We’re products of our choices.”

“FACTSFact #1 Mean people suck.Fact #2 Bad things happen to good people.Fact #3 Good doesn’t always prevail over evil.”

“If I’d stopped believing that my life would eventually get better, I don’t think I would have survived high school.”

“You can’t violate someone’s trust and expect there to be no consequences.”

“I wish emotional bruises healed like physical ones.”

“When your heart is shattered into a million pieces, all you can do is try to keep holding on. You breathe. You try to fall asleep. You try to not think about him.”

“When I’m a teacher, I won’t be using red pens to grade papers. Red pens will forever be associated with criticism and bad grades in my mind. I don’t want this person to get their short story back with harsh red pen marks all over it. Purple is much friendlier.”

“SEEING BELIEVINGwhat’s in front of youis not necessarilythe entire story”

“School would be way more tolerable if everyone wasn’t so afraid to be who they really are. And if everyone else would let them.”

“You‟re not a nerd!”“It‟s okay. I know who I am. I consider it a compliment. I like when people tell me I‟m weird... i mean,why be normal? ”

“Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better”

“What do you call it when two people have intense shared history? when nothing can separate them? Soul Sisters”