Careful, Jackson,” she whispered, raking her fingers through her hair. “Summer’s almost over, and youshouldn’t make my heart skip like that.

A half smile from Jackson Emery felt like so much more than the average person’s full-blown grin.

He was afraid of letting anyone know of his love, because if life had taught him anything, it was that love wasn’t a prize, it was a weapon. And he was so tired of being hurt.

You build your whole life around another person, and you think you'll never be alone again, but then you are. It's the hardest feeling to deal with. Loneliness hurts. It burns in a way that feels worse than fire.

The magic is in the tiny moments. The small touches, the gentle smiles, the quiet laughs. The magic is about living for today and allowing yourself to breathe and be happy. Love is the magic.

To love,and all the heartache that weighs it down.To love,and all the heartbeats that lift it up.

We were from two different puzzles, yet still, we seemed to fit perfectly together.

I loved my mother, but oftentimes, I wondered if I liked her. I wondered if she wasn’t my mom if I’d like her as a fellow human.

It was easy for me to not feel beautiful in a world of prom queens, yet my mother was always reminding me of how worthy I was. I was a lucky daughter