“All of us prayed for normal. But so far, normal only meant more misery.”

“Normal. She wanted normal and so did I.”

“I'd tried normal and I'd failed at it. Me... a failure. Unlike the ACT, I couldn't retake this part of my life and erase an unpleasant score. There was no blank canvas to start a new painting or sketch pad for a fresh drawing.”

“I had no idea i'd traveled into my own universe until Echo's cold fingers squeezed mine. "Want to do normal?" And my heart clenched in pain and joy at the same time. I missed my parents beyond words and this beautiful nymph understood.”

“His touch sent a combination of tickles and chills through my body. My heart sped up and i struggled to keep my breathing normal. Every Noah rummor had been right. His kisses curled my toes and now his simple touch rocked my body.”

“How many more of us are faking the facade? How many more of us are pretending to be something we're not? Even better, how many of us will have the courage to be ourselves regardless of what others think?”

“Echo might be on the outs since she became a cutter and all, but she's still a popular chick. She'll bail on you and treat you like shit in the end." She took another draw. "There's only so many times people like us can have our hearts ripped out. She's a ripper.”