She got under my skin the moment I met her, and she’s still there, in my blood, in my heart.

I was ashamed. Okay? Ashamed. Is that what you wanted to hear?”“Yeah, well, you know what I am? I’m the stupid girl in the horror movie. You made me into that stupid girl. I’m the one running back into the house where the guy with the knife is. You warned me. Over and over again, you told me to stay away. But I couldn’t listen. I thought I knew better

Yeah,” Easton says, coming up on Ella’s other side. “Your room’s a mess.”“Because you keep watching football in there,” she mutters as we lead her away. “I expect you to clean it the moment we get back.”Easton stops at the penthouse door and looks at her incredulously. “I’m Easton Royal. I don’t clean shit.”Dad sighs. The twins snicker. Even the cops look like they’re trying not to laugh.

Hiding's not a bad thing. If you run away, you live to fight another day."Ella Harper - Paper Princess

Auden wrote that when the boy falls from the sky after calamity after calamity, he still has a future somewhere and that there’s no point in dwelling on one’s loss. But did he suffer this? Would he have written that if he had lived my life?...Reed Royal has broken me. I’ve fallen from the sky and I’m not sure I can get up. Not this time.

Look at you with the fancy Latin. Sure then, come and watch me lift. I get it—you want to see me without my shirt on. You know what? Let me give you a sneak peek. It’s awesome, by the way. You might want to close one eye to reduce the effect.

Do you love her?” I ask hoarsely.His head whirls toward me. “No.”“You sure about that?”“I don’t. Not the way you do.”I relax, just slightly. “Still. You care about her.”Of course he does. We all do, because that girl flew into our house like a whirlwind and made everything come alive again. She brought steel and fire. She made us laugh again. She gave us a purpose—at first, it was us uniting against her. Then it turned into us standing beside her. Protecting her. Loving her.

I'm thinking skywriting. 'Sorry I was an asshat. Please forgive my stupid butt.

Then he launches himself at me with a roar, and I let him take his shot. It’s weak, like he is. Like all bullies really are. That’s why they’re bullies. Because they’re insecure idiots who try to make themselves feel better.

But I do care. I hate myself for it, but I can’t fight this desperate need to try. Try to fit in. Try to make this school experience different than all the previous ones.