Flawed (Gamer Girls, #1)

by Auryn Hadley

None of us are perfect. No matter how hard we try, that is a goal which will always stay just out of reach. It's ok. It doesn't matter what you suffered through, the journey was yours, and it made you who you are today. Stop fighting it. No character ever became memorable because of an easy life. The best ones are forged with pain, anguish, and broken dreams. Embrace it. Be proud of it. We are all Flawed – and we are not alone.

"Because this shit fucking world keeps trying to rip me apart and make me dissolve into nothing, and I've never met anyone else who can understand the way I have to fight that every single fucking day. Except you."

"It's like some heroine from a game. Tragic past, tough attitude, but a heart of gold. Like an epic ballad where she beats the shit out of her demons, wins the castle, and reigns victorious in the end."

"Most fucked up thing? Sitting here, waiting for the team, I realized I never would have done that if she'd been a guy. I just put my hands on her like I had a right to."

"Stay away from WoW. I mean, it's a great game, but you're a developer. If you don't want to fall into the same trap as every other developer in the world, don't play it." "Why?" He was honestly curious. "Because WoW changed MMOs. Everything steals from it, and you can tell. The only way Deviant Games can be different is if we have different expectations." Her teeth found the pen again, and she changed a variable. "Never mind that most MMOs are quest-based, gear-based, grind-based games now. You need a sandbox." "K. So what am I downloading, Dez?" One finger flicked into the air, begging him to wait, and she quickly saved her work. "Let's try Secret World. That should give you the taste, hold the expectations, and tweak your interests."

When I finally get to have you, it won't be about that. It'll be about something so much deeper. Safety, reality, and the way you make my heart race when you smile."

Being flawed isn't about pity. It's about living with something locked inside you that you don't want the world to see."

"And she is not her past. It shaped her, but it doesn't own her."

They're boys wishing they were important enough for someone to notice, trying to hurt everyone else to make themselves feel like they matter. The problem is that there's more of them speaking up than us."

"Stop running away. Stop waiting for some hero to come save you. Stop hiding, Sugar, and fight back. Stop letting those bastards win."