“When you said I wasn't your problem, It was just an excuse to run away. YOU'RE A WHIPPED DOG. -Kazuma”

“[...] I think about the problem with running from your trouble . The problem is in the stopping. The whole time you think you're getting away from everything, the trouble is running like mad, too, trying to catch up with you. And it doesn't slow down when you do--it keeps on sprinting. So when trouble finally reaches you, it hits you hard(p107)”

“I told her running away from your problems doesn't solve anything. Really it just hurts the people who count on you.”

“I had an accident.""That seemes to happen a lot.""It wasn't my fault." "It never is." "I just have bad luck." "Or you're just trouble." "You got a problem with that?" "No problem at all." "Oh my God! Are you going to help or not?”

“I'm surprised you're not freaking.""I don't freak'" he said bluntly."You kinda did when I burst into flames earlier.""You caught me by surprise. Next time, I'll just whip out the marshmallows.”

“Sydney, don't leave Adrian because of me.""It's more complicated than that," I said automatically."It's really not," she said. "From everything I've seen and heard, you're just afraid. You've always controlled every detail of your life. When you couldn't-like with the Alchemists-you found a way to seize back that control.""There is nothing wrong with wanting control," I snapped."Except that we can't always have it, and sometimes that is a good thing. A great thing, even," she added. "And that's how it is with Adrian. No matter how hard you try, you aren't going to be able to control your feelings for him. You can't help loving him, and so you're running away. I'm just an excuse.”