He’s wearing a totally normal T-shirt from the mall or whatever, but it hangs on him like the shirt has fulfilled its sole mission in life.

I’ve just realized that I’m probably doomed at love. Because I’m pretty sure I’m not the heroine. I don’t even think I’m in my own story.

Then we kiss underneath the glow of dozens of lightbulbs shimmering in a tree. And for just this moment, my world is a fairy tale.

No, I wasn’t in love with clothes, but maybe I was in love with how clothes made me feel. I was designing how other people saw me, and that felt powerful.

When you’re making your way through the world in a look you feel confident about, everything feels easier.

Normally it makes me really happy to see, not just that they’re in love but that love like that is possible. Right now, though, I just kind of want to throw water on them.

After all, the boys added up – Tony, Bryce, Javier, and I guess Logan, too – didn’t come close to this. There are breakup tunes and lovesick ballads and celebrating-that-he-was-gone anthems. It was easy to believe that romance was the only heartache out there.

I guess I thought that friendship was something you’d always need in one specific way, but it basically goes without saying that my friendship with Jax is nothing like mine with Maliah, and somehow not in a way that makes it worse... or even better. It’s just its own thing.

There’s a new chance to love every goddamn day.

Abbs, I’m a feminist,” he says. “I’m equally scared of all feelings.