“You have points on the tip of your ears." she tilts her head and stares at me." like a big, tall elf.”

“I run my hands down her bare arms. Shoulders to elbows to wrists. She has goose bumps, even in the muggy Florida night. Maybe that’s because of me.Sometimes I forget she likes me the same way I like her.”

“It’s disgusting. They melted my girl down and poured her into their mold. And this perversion is what she cooled into. I can’t be near her. Can’t see her, smell her, hear her voice chirping like a bird.I tell her the same thing I’ve been whispering every night on the roof. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”

“she drew me. But not who I see in the mirror. Nia saw the Oscar i keep hidden. And she put him on paper. Nobody sees the real me.”

“But I can’t leave, not yet. I’ll stay with her until sunrise. If I brace my feet, I won’t slide. I can rest my cheek on the roof tile and still see her. Pacing. Pulling her hair. “I’ll fix you,” I tell her. “I promise.” Even though I don’t know how.It’s better than good-bye.”

“I'm done waiting for someone, even my father, to save me. Today I'm the one who will be doing the saving.”

“Es lo que quieres que sea. Esa es la razón por la que me gusta el arte. Nadie se confunde.”