“It would have hurt no matter who took you the first time.”

“Well, I would have struck him, but I would have had to get up. You have no notion how difficult it is to arrange skirts when sitting down; it took me five minutes together the first time.”

“There may come a time when you will wish you had never tasted the fruit from the tree of knowledge. There may even come a time when you will lie about who took the first bite.”

“All of this time – I need you to answer one thing,” I paused, preparing for the incoming heartbreak that would surely follow. “Did you ever give up on me?” “Never.” Her voice was stern. “No matter how much trouble you may have caused, Taylen. No matter how much you may have hurt me. I’ve never given up on you, love, and I never will.”

“People hurt each other all the time just by being. What matters is that when you hurt someone, you do what you can to make it right.”

“I think she did really try her hardest to get over him. You would, wouldn't you, if someone had hurt you like that? You'd make all kinds of promises to yourself not to let them do something like that again. But wouldn't a small part of you always be wondering "what if" Wouldn't some part of you - a part that you might not want to exist - still be holding out for that happy ending? It's how we're built isn't it? No matter how many times you get slapped in the face you have to believe that the next time would be different. And then in comes the guy who hurt you all those years ago, and he wants to make things better and to prove he's not all talk- this time it will be different. How could she not fall for that? How could she not think that if she chose him it would finally lift the shadow that he'd cast over her life? All that hurt, all that suffering wouldn't have been for nothing then, would it? If he'd come back to you like that, would you have taken him back?”