Calissa

“... and by that point the three of them were visibly trying not to laugh, and the kettle was boiling in the kitchen, the air warm with steam, and the dusky, roseate light was shifting through the translucent curtains, and everything was ordinary, familiar, serene, and everyone I loved was in the room with me.”
― Ann Liang, I Am Not Jessica Chen

“You have to prove yourself over and over, and when the glory for your most recent achievement expires, as it must, as it always will, you have to start again, but with more eyes trained on you, more people waiting for the day your talent withers, and your discipline weakens, and your charm wears away. Success is only meant to be rented out, borrowed in small doses at a time, never to be owned completely, no matter what price you're willing to pay for it.”
― Ann Liang, I Am Not Jessica Chen

“When he was around, the world seemed safe, the kind of place that was worth everything, all the little disappointments and injustices and chips at my pride. The kind of place that could be beautiful if we really tried”
― Ann Liang, I Am Not Jessica Chen

“Isn’t one of those Labors going down to hell?”

“There and back,” said Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer. “As I indicated to Ms. de la Peña, it’s a tough world, Beal.”

He leaned down over me and whispered, so quietly that no one else could hear, “But I think you already know that.”
― Gary D. Schmidt, The Labors of Hercules Beal