“She found it curious and frightening that she could deeply dislike someone she didn’t even know. It wasn’t her. At least, it wasn’t how she used to be.”

“She did not want to know what charmhe had used to make her love him so deeply. She did not want to know it wasn’t real.”

“She wasn’t going to lie and she wasn’t going to try to hide Terrible or who he was. She loved him and he was hers, and that made her so proud her chest hurt, and if anybody didn’t like it they could go fuck themselves.”

“They didn’t hold Frankie as she sobbed for hours at a time without talking. They didn’t make sure she ate even when she wasn’t hungry. They didn’t do her homework when she couldn’t concentrate, or explain to our teachers why she was late to every class.”

“She wasn’t comfortable with the term boyfriend even when she did have one, and she hated everybody knowing her private business.”

“Yes, she was imperfect. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t also spectacular.”