More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
“Oh, for the love of…” Chubs shook his head and sighed, but I heard the affection in his voice all the same. “It’s just me, you dumbass.”
“You were the gawky one,” he corrected, “Lee was the reckless one, Zu was the cute one, and I was the wise one.”
“And people like you are the reason we have middle fingers.”
“Sometimes you’re the one speeding along in a panic, doing too much, not paying attention, wrecking things you don’t mean to. And sometimes life just happens to you, and you can’t dodge it. It crashes into you because it wants to see what you’re made of.”
“Ruby, Jesus.” Chubs grabbed my shoulders, holding me in place. His voice cracked. “You’re all right. You are, I promise. We’re here, okay? Take a deep breath. Look at me. Just look at me—you’re all right.”
Chubs was asking, his hands smoothing the hair off my back and neck.
“Hey,” Liam said, his voice soft.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Chubs said, “apparently the middle of my sentence interrupted the beginning of yours. Do continue.”
“So a thought crossed my mind,” Liam said suddenly. “That must have been a lonely journey,” Chubs said, flipping the page of his book.
“I love you.” He turned toward me, that agonized expression still on his face. “I love you every second of every day, and I don’t understand why, or how to make it stop—”
“Life isn’t fair,” I said. “It’s taken me a while to get that. It’s always going to disappoint you in some way or another. You’ll make plans, and it’ll push you in another direction. You will love people, and they’ll be taken away no matter how hard you fight to keep them. You’ll try for something and won’t get it. You don’t have to find meaning in it; you don’t have to try to change things. You just have to accept the things that are out of your hands and try to take care of yourself. That’s your job.”
“Give ’em hell, darlin’.”
“And for the love of God, bitch, don’t get stabbed this time!” Vida added.
