“I’m tired of running … This is the only thing that’s real. Don’t run from me, Tiny Dancer.”

“We can't always control what we don't like, Tiny Dancer.”

“I thought this was a game,” I remind him. “Not anymore and you know it. Everything else in my life is all fucked up. This is the only thing that’s real.”

“Is it crazy that I’m proud of her for standing up to me at the same time that I’m pissed at her?”

“I don’t know how in the fuck we got here, but somehow this game is more real than anything else.And I want it.I fucking want it.”

“I grab her arms and pull her toward me. Now she has her arms wrapped around my waist and we’re chest to chest. She’s laughing and I almost want to laugh with her. For a second it feels real and okay. The knot in my gut loosens and I’m not scared to breathe.”

“When we pull away we’re both breathing hard, but I don’t think she’s thinking about her aunt or her mom anymore. “Damn I’m good.”