“If it's us", she whispered, "how come you get to decide?"When he didn't answer - couldn't answer - she turned and stared out the front window. As it turned out, they were still in the parking lot.They hadn't gotten anywhere at all.”

“She turned to stare out the window, lost in a thousand thoughts, not a single one of which Danielle could guess.”

“All teenagers knew this was true. The process of growing up was nothing more than figuring out what doors hadn't yet been slammed in your face. For years, parents tell you that you can be anything, have anything, do anything. That was why she'd been so eager to grow up-until she got to adolescence and hit a big fat wall ofreality. As it turned out, she couldn't have anything she wanted. You didn't get to be pretty or smart or popular just because you wanted it. You didn't control your own destiny, you were too busy trying to fit in.”

“My father looked right at me, but he didn't answer. And his eyes were dazed and staring through me, like I was made out of smoke.That was the first time I thought that maybe I was.”

“She is quiet for a moment. "have you ever been swimming in the summer", she asks, "when a cloud comes in front of the sun? You know how, for a few seconds, you're absolutely freezing in th water and you think you'd better get out and dry off? But then all of a sudden the sun's back out and you're warm again and when you tell people how much fun you had swimming you wouldn't even think to mention those clouds." Cara shrugs. "That's what it's like, with my father." -Cara”

“Neither of us, it turns out, has been the only one who lost someone she loved.”

“If she was getting anywhere on this journey, it was still the wrong way.”