“Even though I felt like crying, I did my very best to smile.”

“And still everything’s the same, even though I did my best to get as far away as I could.”

“When I was in the third grade, I did my very best to fail every class so that the kids would like me and stop calling me a teacher's pet. It did not work out for me, though. My best attempts at failure in school garnered me an A- at best, and at my worst, I won awards for being the student of the month. -Mackenzie”

“I do not remember very many things from the inside out. I do not remember what it felt like to touch things, or how bathwater traveled over my skin. I did not like to be touched, but it was a strange dislike. I did not like to be touched because I craved it too much. I wanted to be held very tight so I would not break. Even now, when people lean down to touch me, or hug me, or put a hand on my shoulder, I hold my breath. I turn my face. I want to cry.”

“That moment I felt a bit like crying. I don't really know why. Nana's hand felt so warm that it even warmed my heart.”

“Like Villa, I believed that even though some men did not deserve to go on living, they still deserved to be remembered at their best.”