“The beauty of physical pain is that it wipes out the other forms of pain.”

“Pain is the great equalizer, the cure to mental anguish, the antidote for a hopeful heart.”

“No beast of reality, or creature of imagination, is as terrible as mankind. Or as loving. It’s a contradiction. I’ve always liked contradictions. Today I see both sides of the coin unveiled in gruesome and beautiful imagery, captured by my eyes and filed away in my mind, like still shots taken by a world-renowned photographer.”

“Traaaiiinnn,” Roc repeats slowly, sounding out the word for me like I’m stupid. “T-R-A-I-N. Spell it with me, Tristan.”

“It's like she was metal and I was a magnet, Roc. But at the same time it felt like someone had shoved an electric wire into my skin and was frying me from the inside. It hurt like hell. No, worse than hell, Roc. And yet, somehow across the distance, through the fence, over the mob of people, I felt a pull to her, even though I knew it would hurt me to be closer to her. I probably would have just let it go, chalked it up to male hormones, but then when she acted so strong, pushed that guy... I don't know, since then I can't get her out of my mind.”

“It's like my mind knows to stay as far away from him as possible... but my bones, my skin quiver in his presence.”

“My brain is telling me to stop staring at him, but for some reason I can't. It's almost... instinct... to keep on looking at him.”