I know. You can be fine, and then,out of nowhere,a memory blindsides you.

STONELet my heartturn tostone.Maybe thenI can sleepwithoutnightmares.May be thenI can eatwithouta stomachache.Maybe thenI can readwithout fearof an unhappy ending.Take the knifeout of my heartand,please,let itturn to stone.

When he opens the door, I step in and an army of memories comes at me from all sides.

Heads: This girlTails: That girl

And what I think is thatwhen you’re completely aloneand deep inside yourselfwith feelings no one else can understand,there really aren’t a hundred places to go. It’s like if I woke up one dayand looked outside...

I hear the word in the hallover and over again.Suicide.Suicide.Suicide.Did he or didn’t he?Everyone’s got a guess.Still no one knows for sure, except Gabe, but he’s not talking. Why does it even matter? He’s gone....

When you meet someoneso different from yourself,in a good way,you don’t even have to kissto have fireworks go off.

Was it hard?” I ask.Letting go?”Not as hard as holding on to something that wasn’t real.

And then it hits me like a fast, open-palmed, stinging smack in the face.Having a ghost boyfriend WASweird

WRAP ME UPI shiver.He pulls away.”Are you cold?” he asks.”A little.Plus… you know.””What?””Um… your kisses?”He laughs,pulls me downonto the blanketand wraps his armsand legs around me.Perfect.My kind of blanket.

When you meet someone so different from yourself, in a good way, you don’t even have to kiss to have fireworks go off. It’s like fireworks in your heart all the time. I always wondered,...

It brings me back to the moment, and I want to livethe moment with everything I’ve got.

Joy, not sorrow.Laughter, not tears.Life, not death.Love, not blame.

Guilt reminds me of a stray cat. You chase it away and yet, it comes back when you least expect it. If you let yourself feel pity for it and feed the thing, it parks...

Sometimes you want to remember. And sometimes you need to forget.

I look at him and realize, maybe I overreacted. Maybe more than once.

What I want is for youto build a bridge.A bridge thatconnects thesetwo parts of mylife so I don’t have to chooseone or the otherI don’t want to chooseBecause the thing aboutchoices?You get something while you...

He was a character.A character who should still be here. Damn it all to hell.He should still be here.

Okay.I will go.But only ifyou will give meyour guiltto takewith me.

I think fear is normal, Cade. Just don’t let it win.

Memories fall like snowflakes upon my dreams. The snowflakes toss and tumble, each different and yet the same.

Come with me,’ Mom says.To the library. Books and summertimego together.

We have a lot of questions, and we want to understand.Music helps with that .Music helps with everything.

And years from now,you may not remember exactly what you ate.But you’ll remember who you ate with.

He cups my facewith both handsleans in,eyes lingering asweet secondbefore his lips are there on mine,teasing, playing, tasting, kissing.When he pulls away,I’m breathless.He nuzzles my ear.”Now that’s thrilling.”You got that right.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ME AND YOUWhen I hold a rose,I see the soft, velvety petalsand smile, becausetucked betweenthose precious petalsis a special gift -the one of a fragrance,pure and sweet.When you hold a rose,you see...

I like the memories because they remind meI haven’t always beenthis girl,constantly mad or scaredor confused.

The road to happiness is paved with good deeds for others.