The Girl He Used to Know

by Tracey Garvis Graves

subterfuge

All work and no play makes this company a shitload of money.

no one has ever loved me as fiercely and unconditionally as she did.

When Annika would frustrate me, which was pretty often, I would tell myself there were lots of other girls out there who were not so challenging. But twenty-four hours later, I’d be knocking on her door. I missed her face and her smile, and I missed every one of the things that made her different.

fortitude

“Changing how you deal with something is not the same thing as changing who you are as a person.

“It’s because of you that I know what it feels like to be loved and accepted.” Her eyes fill with tears and she blinks them away.

Don’t let one bad experience take the happiness in meeting a great guy away forever.

All my life, I’d been waiting for someone I could be myself with. It had never occurred to me that I could be that person for someone else.

patrons

I remembered that no one can make me feel inferior without my consent.”

‘A woman is like a tea

bag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.’

I might not always understand what people are saying, but I know when they’ve been kind.

“Sometimes it’s important to let the people we care about know that a single incident doesn’t have to define them.

Sleep was my self-preservation tactic in response to pain.

“You have wonderful gifts to offer people, Annika. You are honest and loyal. Not everyone will appreciate that, and there are people who will dislike you anyway. Life isn’t easy for anyone. We all have challenges. We all face adversity. It’s how we overcome it that makes us who we are.”

“Because hindsight is a wonderfully illuminating thing.”