Big Summer

by Jennifer Weiner

I never knew that I could be so happy. She thought, This is the way it was always meant to be.

Ben and Jerry, the two men who have never let me down,

In space, nobody could hear you scream; on the Internet, nobody could tell if you were lying.

The two of them looked like imperfect copies

I was Darshi’s friend, but I was Drue’s creature.

I wondered if this was what being an adult was: endless denial, requiring limitless willpower.

Progress, not perfection. One step forward, two steps back.”

it’s not about fame. It’s about having a community. Connecting with people who care about the same things that you

‘Blessed is the true judge.’ ”

Maybe there was no real Corina at all, just different versions, different Corinas for different occasions.

And to us there, ah! she remains A lovely memory Until eternity;

She came, she loved, and then she went away.

But how many secrets stayed secret forever?

“Social media means we’re listening to different voices. It’s not just the same old powerful white men who all went to the same places for college. It means everyone gets a soapbox. And if you’ve got something important to say, you can get people to listen.”

“Everyone tries to put the best versions of themselves across. To fake it. And when they’re not doing that, they’re sitting behind their screens, passing judgment and feeling superior to whoever they think’s being sexist or racist that day.”

“Tell the truth and shame the devil; that’s what my mama used to say.”

As the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined.

Sometimes a twig can unbend itself, right? It’s never too late.”

I wondered if she’d recognize me, but by the end, I barely recognized myself.

If you can’t be brave, pretend to be brave, and if you can’t do that yet, know that you aren’t alone. Everyone you see is struggling. Nobody has it all figured out.