“I take a slow sip of lukewarm coffee, reopen the book, and read the words scribbled in red ink near the top: Everyone needs an olly-olly-oxen-free.”
“My breathing begins to slow. The tension in my muscles starts to relax.Then, a click in the headphones. A slow breath of air.I open my eyes to bright moonlight.And Hannah, with warmth.Thank you.”
“Suicide. It's something I've been thinking about. Not too seriously, but I have been thinking about it.” That's the note. Word for word. And I know it's word for word because I wrote it dozens of times before delivering it. I'd write it, throw it away, write it, crumple it up, throw it away.But why was I writing it to begin with? I asked myself that question every time I printed the words onto a new sheet of paper. Why was I writing this note? It was a lie. I hadn't been thinking about it. Not really. Not in detail. The thought would come into my head and I'd push it away.But I pushed it away a lot.”
“I needed a break... from myself.”
“Because if I hadn't been so afraid of everyone else, I might have told Hannah that someone cared. And Hannah might still be alive.”
“I can't believe I just heard the last words I'll ever hear from Hannah Baker."I'm sorry." Once again, those were the words. And now, anytime someone says I'm sorry, I'm going to think of her.”
“And everyone knows you can’t disprove a rumor.”