Adam says I isolate. He is addicted to telling me that I spend too much time in my head. It’s an unhealthy behavior. Look, I don’t see how not bothering other people with your screwed-up vision of the world constitutes unhealthy behavior.

— Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Ad we're interviewing each other? Something like that. What position am I applying for? Best friend. I thought I already had the job. Don't be so sure, you arrogant son of a bitch.

— Benjamin Alire Sáenz

All I knew is that sometimes my father was sad. I hated that he was sad. It made me sad too. I didn't like sad.

— Benjamin Alire Sáenz

All this time I had been trying to figure out the secrets of the universe, the secrets of my own body, of my own heart. All the answers had always been so close, and yet I had always fought them without even knowing it. From the minute I’d met Dante, Had fallen in love with him. I just didn’t let myself know it, think it, feel it. My father was right. And it was true what my mother said. We all fight our own private wars.

— Benjamin Alire Sáenz

And prayer? How could you pray to a God you wanted to hit?

— Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Another secret of the universe: Sometimes pain was like a storm that came out of nowhere. The clearest summer could end in a downpour. Could end in lightning and thunder.

— Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Breakfast seemed to be a good time for throwing your emotions around. Jodie said that at this place emotions were like Frisbees – people just tossed them around all day long like they were at a park.

— Benjamin Alire Sáenz

But the thing is, I didn't make my friends happy, and they didn't make me happy. All we did was get stoned out of our minds. That didn't have anything to do with happiness.

— Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Dad? Dad, no. No. I can't. I can't. Why are you saying these things?"" Because I can't stand watching all that loneliness that lives inside you.

— Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Did you hear me, Zach? I care about you.” “Okay,” I said. “It’s okay with me that you care about me. But can we please not talk about it? Would that be okay with you?” “Yeah, that would be okay,” he said.

— Benjamin Alire Sáenz