14 Quotes by Tracey Garvis Graves

Though she has trouble deciphering other people's facial expressions, her face is an open book and no one would ever have trouble understanding hers.

For so long, I'd envied the affection other people seemed to acquire effortlessly. Holding hands and kissing someone felt like finally being able to nibble at a buffet that had delicacies I had yet to fully sample, and I was eager to try every one of them. After years of loneliness and isolation, receiving attention and affection from another person boosted my spirits unbelievably. It was an infinitely preferable way to go about life.

Was Jonathan a nerd? Just because he had short hair and didn't play every sport didn't mean that he was a nerd. He was really smart, and intelligence had always made guys seem more interesting to me than they might be to others. Plus, he was really good-looking and sometimes while we were playing chess I stared at him, mesmerized by how perfect his face looked. He had the whitest teeth I'd ever seen, which made me think his kisses would taste like Pep O Mint Life Savers.

It was hard for me to come up with something on the fly, which is why I preferred, if at all possible, not to say anything at all for fear it wasn't the right thing.

The constant vigilance and my heightened anxiety that I'd screw it up anyway exhausted me, but I persevered.

He seemed calmer, but he kept bringing up all the times I'd said or done the wrong thing. It made me feel like crying. But then I remembered that no one can make me feel inferior without my consent.""Did Janice tell you that?""Eleanor Roosevelt did. But Janice is the one who gave me a whole book of her quotes, and I memorized all of them. I also really like the one that says 'A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water.

Jonathan made concessions for me, and I didn't need Janice to tell me that. He kept me away from loud noises before they could overwhelm me. He was always kind- to people, to animals, to strangers. He made me feel special and smart.

He had the whitest teeth I'd ever seen, which made me think his kisses would taste like Pep O Mint Life Savers. Joe's kisses probably tasted like pot and Funyuns. And failure.

I'd spent the preceding twenty days swirling in a paralyzing vortex of loud sounds and bad smells, overwhelming stimuli, and confusing social norms, and I'd had just about all I could take.