“As we headed toward the living room, I couldn’t help feeling dread. It was as if I was being led to my own beheading.”

“No guest rooms.” I shake my head resolutely. “I want to be in a room room. A lived-in room.”

“My name is Lake Suck and this is my manifesto. I swear to be myself. To think for myself. I will not be led by social conventions. I will make my own way through the world. I will live on my own terms without conforming to society's expectations of who they think I should be, I will be the visible minority.By being myself, I will help to save the world. I swear to always look, listen, learn, think, ask, act, and speak for myself.”

“I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life; I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”

“I had reclusive tendencies for a reason, I couldn’t be trusted to live in the world and make decisions on my own.”

“I sighed and went back to filling out the application. The whole thing made me feel like my family didn’t think I had any right to want something of my own. It bothered me, but I knew I couldn’t hold it against them in the long run. We couldn’t afford the luxury of wants. We had needs.”