Astoria

“She is angle. I am
curve. Together, we are geometric
sculpture, and we make perfect sense.”
― Ellen Hopkins, Perfect

“Am I more afraid
Of taking a chance and
learning I'm somebody
I don't know, or of risking
new territory,
only to find I'm the same
old me? There is comfort
in the tried and true.
Breaking ground
might uncover a sinkhole,
one impossible to climb out
of. And setting sail in
uncharted waters
might mean capsizing into
a sea monster's jaws.
Easier to turn my back on
these things
than to try tjem and fail.
And yet, a whisper insists
I need to know if they are or
aren't integral to me.
Status quo is a swamp.
And stagnation is slow death.”
― Ellen Hopkins, Perfect

“Love is Chocolate
The unprocessed kind. Dark. Bitter.
But always with the promise of sweet
perfection. All it takes is sugar-
that certain someone's kiss, flavored

with possibility. If Dani has taught
me anything, it's that life is brimming
with possibilities. Every single day
brings choices.”
― Ellen Hopkins, Perfect

“Another night then,' Mom said. 'Maybe on the weekend we can have a barbecue and invite your sister.'

'Or,' I said turning to Rafe, 'if you want to skip the whole awkward meet-the-family social event you could just submit your life story including your view on politics religion and every social issue imaginable along with anything else you think they might need to conduct a thorough background check.'

Mom sighed. 'I really don't know why we even bother trying to be subtle around you.'

'Neither do I. It's not like he isn't going to realize he's being vetted as daughter-dating material.'

Rafe grinned. 'So we are dating.'

'No. You have to pass the parental exam first. It'll take you awhile to compile the data. They'd like it in triplicate.' I turned to my parents. 'We have Kenjii. We have my cell phone. Since we aren't yet officially dating I'm sure you'll agree that's all the protection we need.'

Dad choked on his coffee.”
― Kelley Armstrong, The Gathering