Home > Work > All Broke Down (Rusk University, #2)
1 " Because try as I might, perfect doesn't guarantee me anything. I can't control whether other people will want me or love me or even like me. I can only control how I feel about myself. "
― Cora Carmack , All Broke Down (Rusk University, #2)
2 " Everything in the world might be connected, but that doesn't mean the way we feel about them has to be. "
3 " I hold her, and I know now why caring about another person is so damn scary. It's not that they won't care about you back, because that either happens or it doesn't. You live with it or you do everything you can to change it. The really scary thing is the moment you realize that for the rest of your life, you'll feel twice the pain, twice the joy, twice the fear. Twice as helpless to control it all, too. "
4 " And all the restless energy floating through me keeps connecting to him and coming back twice as strong, like we're this closed circuit, and the longer we stay linked, the more powerful the pull between us becomes. "
5 " We go through our whole lives thinking that we belong in one place and not in another. We think certain ideas and actions have to be relegated to the tiny little boxes we place them in. What if we just reacted instead? What if we take whatever the world gives us and instead of focusing on what it isn't, we enjoy what it is? "
6 " Dudes who look dangerous should just be dangerous. Period. The end. They should not be dangerous and beautiful all at the same time. It leaves the universe out of balance, and it makes me do stupid things like stare. "
7 " I will never be able to turn this girl down. Whatever she wants from me, it’s hers. No matter what she asks for, I’ll find a way to give it to her. She may not be mine, but somewhere along the way, I ended up hers. "
8 " I know now why caring about another person is so damn scary. It’s not that they won’t care about you back, because that either happens or it doesn’t. You live with it or you do everything you can to change it. The really scary thing is the moment you realize that for the rest of your life, you’ll feel twice the pain, twice the joy, twice the fear.Twice as helpless to control it all, too. "
9 " Only you would pick up a girl in jail.""Only I could. "
10 " Why isn’t there a reality TV show filled with hot guys doing sweaty, mouthwatering tasks?Oh, right. That’s called sports "
11 " You're really hitting on me? After we just met in jail?""Is it working? "
12 " He might not have a good head on his shoulders, but he has good shoulders, so that's close, right? "
13 " Except I’m starting to think that the idea of “belonging” anywhere is false. We go through our whole lives thinking that we belong in one place and not in another. We think certain ideas and actions have to be relegated to the tiny little boxes we place them in. What if we just react instead? What if we take whatever the world gives us and instead of focusing on what it isn’t, we enjoy what it is? "
14 " I’m figuring out what I want by trial and error, and maybe that’s not the best way, but it’s all I’ve got. All I know is that I need to be my own person, someone shaped by my desire, not fear of disappointing the people who are supposed to love me. "
15 " There's a fine line between broody and potential sociopath. Right now you're walking the line. "
16 " Fact is, knowing what you want and knowing who you are...those are two separate things. One is complicated. The other isn't. You're trying to take something simple and make it hard, and there's enough hard things in life without you adding more for yourself. "
17 " Of course I want you. Have you seen you?""I see you."She swallows, and her eyes bore into mine when she replies. "Yeah, I think you do. "
18 " He's right you know. I will pull you down with me."I lift my chin and reply, "If I go down, it will be because I jumped, not because you made me fall. "
19 " So he doesn’t tick any of my usual boxes, but there’s something in the way he looks at me. In his eyes, there’s this strange kind of appreciation that is part attraction, part something else that makes me feel rare and precious and . . . seen. "
20 " He blocks out the sun, and maybe it’s the pain or maybe it’s just him, but it feels like one of those rare total eclipses where you know you’re not supposed to look because it can destroy your eyes or something, but it’s so incredible that you can’t help it. "
