“You have a high opinion of yourself, Anita. Confident. I like that. Always so much more entertaining to break someone strong. The weaklings fold and cry and snivel, but the brave ones, they almost demand that you hurt them." He stalked towards me, reaching out one white spider-hand. "Do you want me to hurt you?”

“Blake jumped up again, clenching and unclenching his fists. “I hurt you. I’m useless,” he whispered harshly.“Stop. Stop, Blake.” She tried to speak calmly. “When you hurt yourself, it hurts me.” She reached out to take one of his bloody, torn hands.”

“Shane: "You've got to be feeling like hitting someone, and you know I like it. Smack me around. Fuck me. Get it out of your system."Ben: "You think that's what we do? Just that?"No, Shane wanted to say. You break me apart and put me back together right, so everything fits; everything’s smooth. You put your hands on me , and you hurt me, but you do it so fucking carefully. Trust you. Love you. Need you.”

“I don’t want to be like her, like Vivian. I don’t want to hurt anyone. Am I going to hurt people?”“No one can make you do that, child. You are caught between two worlds, much like my own Lend. You will want the fire, you will want to be filled. It is your nature. I hope you do not fall, but she is much stronger than you are.”She smiled at me, reaching out as though she would wipe away my tears. “Cling to what is good in your life. Be good to my son.”

“Am I doing the right thing? Is it ever right to hurt someone? But is it right to stay with someone when you want to be with someone else? Which one would hurt more?”

“You're nothing like your sister," he tells me. "She meant a lot to me, okay? It's true. But the things I like about you have nothing to do with her. You - you are so strong and stubborn it drives me crazy. You're the one going through all this and you still put Laney first every time, instead of throwing yourself the pity party we both know you deserve. You call me out on my shit, and I like that, because sometimes I need someone to call me out on my shit. And you get Johnny Cash, and you take these incredible photos, and everything about you makes me hurt, in a good way, and it blows my mind that someone can be so amazing and not even see it.”