Before I Fall

by Lauren Oliver

Fourth period I have “life skills,” which is what they call gym when you’re old enough to be offended by forced physical activity

it’s a miracle how many kinds of light there are in the world, how many skies: the pale brightness of spring, when it feels like the whole world is blushing; the lush, bright boldness of a July noon; purple storm skies and a green queasiness just before lightning strikes and crazy multicolored sunsets that look like someone’s acid trip.

I should have enjoyed them more, should have memorized them all. I should have died on a day with a beautiful sunset.

You keep drawing a line farther and farther away, crossing it every time. That’s how people end up stepping off the edge of the earth.

A room full of words that are nearly the truth but not quite,

And very, very rarely—by some miracle of chance and coincidence, butterflies beating their wings just so and all the threads hanging together for a minute—you get the chance to do the right thing.

ELODY: 1. Has perfect pitch and the clearest, richest voice you can imagine, like maple syrup pouring over warm pancakes, but doesn’t ever show off and only sings on her own when she’s in the shower. 2. Once went a whole school year wearing at least one green item of clothing every single day.