“I want to look back. To look over my shoulder and see the Stop sign with huge reflective letters, pleading with Hannah. Stop!”

“And concentrating on the spot where the two spindles should be is the closest I get to looking Hannah's eyes as she tells my story.”

“You don't need to watch out for me, Clay."But I did, Hannah. And I wanted to. I could have helped you. But when I tried, you pushed me away.I can almost hear Hannah's voice speaking my next thought for me. "Then why didn't you try harder?”

“‎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.”

“Hannah wasn't my first kiss, but the first kiss that mattered: the first kiss with someone who mattered.”

“Soul Alone by Hannah BakerI meet your eyesyou don't even see meYou hardly respondwhen I whisperhelloCould be my soul matetwo kindred spiritsMaybe we're notI guess we'll neverknowMy own motheryou carried me in youNow you see nothingbut what I wearPeople ask youhow I'm doingYou smile and noddon't let it endtherePut meunderneath God's sky and know medon't just see me with your eyesTake awaythis mask of flesh and bone andSee mefor my soulalone”

“Then come to realize that you're making mountains out of molehills. Realize how petty you've become. Sure, it may feel like you can't get a grip on this town. It may seem that every time someone offers you a hand up, they just let go and you slip further down. But you must stop being so pessimistic, Hannah, and learn to trust those around you. So I do. One more time.”