Kasie West

I turn my head so that he doesn't see my smile and secretly curse him for making me feel special.

My hands still on his shoulders. __i,_ he says. __orry._ __or what?_ __or the fact that you are such a big flirt._ He laughs. __ou__e the one in my lap. I was just sitting here minding my own business._ __ust the plane, then?_ __f course._ I try to stand up, but he pulls me back down again. __an, the plane is really bumpy today,_ he says.

His hands still on his shoulders. __i,_ he says. __orry._ __or what?_ __or the fact that you are such a big flirt._ He laughs. __ou__e the one in my lap. I was just sitting here minding my own business._ __ust the plane, then?_ __f course._ I try to stand up, but he pulls me back down again. __an, the plane is really bumpy today,_ he says.

It was hard to remember what I'd been so scared of. Being treated differently? Lack of acceptance? I was the one who hadn't accepted myself for who I was. I was the one who needed to be comfortable in my own skin. I hoped I could do that moving forward.

Growing up, I never felt deprived. I was always happy. It seems only lately I've started seeing everything I didn't have.

I thought I wanted these memories, but now I realize he hardly knows me.

One of my friends at the Compound has a photographic memory. Everything she ever sees, reads, or hears, she remembers forever in perfect detail.

Look at me, making one of your dreams come true. You and your Norm truck driving around Normville.""You're practically a god.

It was hard when I knew I was about to be flooded with memories of a life I hadn't lived yet. Really, two lives I hadn't lived yet.

Sometimes regardless of what we want, reality takes over.

Because an illusion is an illusion. Reality always exists despite the facade.

You need to empty your mind, and relax each other muscle group until you feel like you are going to melt into the floor. Then you just let it all go. All the expectations, all the unneeded worry, all the things other people want for you but you don't want for yourself.

We rarely find a depth by looking inside of ourselves for it. Depth is found in what we can learn from the people and things around us. Everyone, everything, has a story, Gia. When you learn those stories, you learn experiences that fill you up, that expand your understanding. You add layers to your soul.

Mrs. Spence picks up a roll of toilet paper from the counter and scrunches her nose.__sk Caymen about that,_ Xander says.Great, now I have to explain to his mother about my vandalism? __our son called me with a toilet paper emergency. I rushed right over.__he looks confused so Xander says, __he__ kidding, Mom.

We make our own luck. I believed that, too. We chose our own fate. We controlled our own future. I knew what I wanted. I needed to go get it.

My bookcase is all yours."I walked to the door. "I've just decided that those are my favorite five words in the world.

The was something very satisfying about a smile that had to be earned.

I can pay you."He raised his eyebrows. "I'm sure there are services for that.Maybe you can try calling 1-800-HOOKERS or something?""You know the number well?