People say teenagers think they’re immortal, and I agree with that. But I think there’s a difference between thinking you’re immortal and knowing you can survive. Thinking you’re immortal leads to arrogance, thinking you deserve...

Lobsters fascinated me. Everything from their name to their claws to their magnificent red had me hooked.My hair was that read, the kind of read that looks okay on everything but people, because a person’s...

I grabbed his hand. He jumped and stared at the connection like something both magical and dangerous had happened.”Do you wanna be friends?” I asked.

There is no force in high school more powerful than one person’s blunt disagreement.

Do you do this all the time?’ he asked.’No,’ I said. ‘Just today.’He smiled.

My parents didn’t grow up here or anything. They chose to live in this nowhere town. Why? Because it was named after Hannibal of Carthage. Their basic train of thought was this: Hannibal’s Rest? And...

Are you French?’ I asked instead.’Oui!’Foreign. Foreign spy. French Communist Party acted on Stalin’s instructions during part of World War II. French Communist spy.Stop it stop it stop itI turned to Art, a black kid...

I realized everyone around me was wearing a uniform. Black pants, white button-down shirts, green ties. Gotta love the smell of institutional equality in the morning.

No, you’re not a bad person,” he said. “And Richter isn’t a bad person, and I’m not a bad person. We’re just people, and people sometimes do stupid things.

The rest of the year, I wondered if the point of Christmas was just spending money and getting fat and opening gifts. Indulging.But when Christmas finally comes, and that warm, tingly, mints-and-sweaters-and-fireplace-fires feeling gathers in...

Sometimes I think people take reality for granted.

I didn’t have the luxury of taking reality for granted. And I wouldn’t say I hated people who did, because that’s just about everyone. I didn’t hate them. They didn’t live in my world. But...

It kind of felt like she was kicking me in the gut, and every kick said I don’t want you.I don’t need you.I don’t love you.

Believing something existed and then finding out it didn’t was like reaching the top of the stairs and thinking there was one more step.

Did you meet your soul mate? That always happens on the first day of school, right?”Oh God, Charlie, she’s letting you read again! You went straight to the paranormal section, didn’t you?

Mile’s fingers pressed into the small of my back. “Basorexia,” he mumbled.”Gesundheit.”He laughed. “It’s an overwhelming desire to kiss.””I thought you weren’t good at figuring out what you felt.””I’m probably using the word in the...

I was the big sister. I was supposed to set and example and lead the way so people would say, ‘Hey, you’re Alex’s sister, aren’t you? You two look exactly alike!’ instead of ‘Hey, you’re...

You live here. Doesn’t that make it real enough?