All That You Are (All That You Are, #1)

by Elicia Roper

Okay, so I might have a teensy-weensy problem. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m a book hoarder... but I do love books.

Emotions are a funny thing. No matter how far down you bury them, they always seem to find a way to climb back up to the surface. No matter how much you would love to keep those feelings buried.

“Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you condone the wrong action.” Mom puts a hand on mine. “Forgiveness is to release yourself from the prison you are in. It’s to stop the person who hurt you from continuing to hurt you.” Mom is right; holding onto anger

hurts us. It drags on the pain even longer.

“No one’s life is exactly as we pictured it to be... I feel like we hold ourselves to such unrealistically high standards, only to punish ourselves for not being able to reach them. Of course, we can’t reach them since they were unattainable in the first place.” Caiden smiles. “So, don’t be so hard on yourself.”

She nods. “You have a strong sense of loyalty to your friends and family, and that’s why you’re very hurt when they let you down. You give out love and rightfully expect the same love in return. But that’s not because you are sensitive; you have a big heart, so when you love someone, you give them all of you, and it hurts if they don’t do the same.”

Athena smiles with the warmest light in her eyes. “That is the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me.” I grin, happy to see her smiling again. “Well, you should hear kind things more often.”

The thing about broken hearts is, unlike a broken bone, it doesn’t get the time and attention it needs to heal. It goes undetected by the naked eye, so no one really knows the pain you are feeling on the inside.

Real life is tragic and miserable—we don’t always get what we want in the end.