Pretty Prey Quotes

“I let you believe that the world wasn’t safe from you, but in truth, I didn’t think it was safe for you.”
― A. Zavarelli, Pretty Prey

“I nod through my tears, slowly coming to terms with that reality. In some ways, it changes everything, but it fixes nothing. All the pain and anger feel softer when it’s wrapped in understanding. But it doesn’t alter our circumstances.”
― A. Zavarelli, Pretty Prey

“You got through to him,” Angelo murmurs, his voice rough with disbelief. I offer him a watery smile. “He used to do the same for me.” Angelo scrapes a hand over his jaw and shakes his head. “Here we were trying to brace for a storm, and you knew how to harness it all along.” “I only know because he taught me. I get what it’s like to feel too much all at once. Everyone treats it like it’s a bomb that needs to be defused. But sometimes all you need is someone to stand with you in the storm until it passes.”
― A. Zavarelli, Pretty Prey

“A quiet sound vibrates in my throat, barely audible at first, the ghost of a memory that pulls me back to another time and place. As the melody fills the space between us, I know I’m no longer there alone. Romeo turns his head slowly, his eyes settling on mine as a rough exhalation shudders from his chest. I hum the tune to “I Miss You” by Blink182, the same way he used to do for me. When the world gets to be too much, Gabi, press your fingers to the back of my hand. I’ll be your anchor. It wasn’t a platitude. He was there through every overwhelm and every storm for the most formative years of my life. He’d find a way to bring me back when the world got to be too much. Whether it was drawing something for me to focus on, pressing my fingers to his heartbeat, or humming this tune until I fell into rhythm right beside him. He was my shelter. And right now, by some small miracle, I’ve become his.”
― A. Zavarelli, Pretty Prey

“My survival instincts tend to malfunction in traumatic situations. Rather than fight or flight, my body shuts down. I can already feel it happening— my limbs growing heavy, my vision tunneling. If I don’t force myself to move now, I won’t be able to in a minute.”
― A. Zavarelli, Pretty Prey

“With a brain that constantly feels like it has a hundred browser tabs open, every interaction costs me something.”
― A. Zavarelli, Pretty Prey