“The penny dropped. I sat in my room and burst into tears. Our band had barely begun, and already our drummer and bass player were a couple of drug fiends!”

“Looking back at those early days in the band house, we can all see how important they were in helping us bond as a band. It could have gone so wrong. Danny and I had picked Harry and Dougie after, literally, two days of knowing them. We could have all hated each other. We could have found that we had nothing in common, or that we resented the time we spent with each other. In fact, we had such a lot of fun. We weren’t yet famous or successful, but already we were having the time of our lives. Even when we hit the big time, we didn’t want to go out to clubs or celebrity haunts. Not our scene. For us, the best thing about being in a band was being in a band, doing band stuff - not all the trappings that went with it. We liked working on our music, and we liked hanging out together. All this meant we gelled more than most bands ever have the opportunity or inclination to do. Within a couple of months of moving into the band house, I had three new best friends. Their names were Danny, Harry and Dougie. No matter what the future held for us, our friendship was something we now know we could always rely on.”

“Which people take the time to care for their souls, these days? I reckon not many. But...hear this: I think that maybe in our lives -- in our scrabbling for food, in the washing of our bodies and warming of them, in our small daily battles -- we can forget our souls. We do not tend to them, as if they matter less. But I don't think they matter less.”

“Fuck you."I shrug. "You already have."She rolls her eyes as her cheeks gain color. "So I have."Bethany puts her drink down and her voice drops a few octaves, laughingly, "And what fun i had whilst doing it."I chuckle uncontrollably, at so small a thing? No. Maybe it's the fact I've realized why other men had held nothing more than a vague interest for me "Oh, Beth!" I mock lament, both in reaction to her silliness and my own thoughts.She abruptly stops laughing. "I swear to god, I would kill for your voice. Each time you speak it's like being ear fucked.""Ear fucked," I echo and wince. "No, thank you.”

“I've heard fate talked of. It's not a word I use. I think we make our own choices. I think how we live our lives is our own doing, and we cannot fully hope on dreams and stars. But dreams and stars can guide us, perhaps. And the heart's voice is a strong one. Always is.”

“Where was my head just then? I've already said I'm plain yet all of a sudden I think I'm The Shit? I'm not myself, my thoughts just took an uncharacteristic turn to vanity.”

“I believe the world is as we choose to view it. Simple as that. Our happiness is, in the end, up to us, and to no one else.”