“It feels weird, being out in the real world again. Around people just living their lives like normal. Their presence is oppressive. The very fact that the world is going on as usual, like nothing ever happened, makes me want to scream. I know it's irrational to expect everything to grind to a halt because of June, but still. A wave of anxiety builds in my chest, my head pounding so loud it drowns out the noise of people talking and tapping away on their laptops.”

“Sketchy black van? Weird stalking of my house? What are you going to do next, offer me some candy?”

“That hate is easy, but sometimes love is easy too.”

“I guess that’s the thing about riding on cloud nine—it can’t last forever. And that particular fall was hard and fast.”

“Keeping secrets isn't my specialty.”

“I'm an expert at finding out secrets, but keeping them- especially a secret of this magnitude - is something else.”

“Hate is... It's too easy. Love. Love takes courage.”

“Whatever you decide, don't let it be because you don't think you have a choice.”

“It's so stupid because all I wanted was space and now that I have it, there's this part of me that's achingly lonely I could die.”

“Maybe Laney's right. Maybe June did love me. But I'm far less certain that she knew I loved her. Did she realise how much I needed her around? It's not like I ever told her. I was too wrapped up in my own world to notice what was going on in hers. Even if she did know, it wasn't enough to count. It wasn't enough to make her stay. So really, what did it matter, in th”

“The house is eerily quiet. All this time I thought silence would be a welcome reprieve, but it's less comforting than I imagined. The house feels so much bigger and colder than it ever has.”