“He’d had to fold his long legs into his desk. His boots had seen better days, and his jeans unraveled in a… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Thanet is having a moment,” I said, leaning forward so Quinn could see him. “What’s wrong, man?” Quinn said. “Were you not… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Camus and Henry waved to me from that muddy truck. They both wanted me to get over myself. So, this was me,… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Uncommon anxiety came to us in common hours when other people were doing mundane things like taking out the trash or checking… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“With a damp palm, I turned the knob and cracked open the door. She was asleep in her freshly made bed. I… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“In my mind, I saw a string stretching from Henry’s heart at Quiet Waters to my heart. It was taut and it… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Jo told me once that she was an old woman everywhere but in her studio. “There I’m only myself,” she’d said. Standing… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“You’re kidding, right? The whole town will know where we are just by the idle on that thing.” He feigned a look… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Look at this one.” I picked up a small painting of a man with dark hair and a short, dark beard. He… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I reached down and picked up a baseball bat at my feet and I flung it as hard as it could. It… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Sometimes, in the stillness of my room, my mom’s voice came to me, repeating things she’d said for months. Like, “My skin… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“He smiled and squinted at me again, tilting his head up and to the right as he stared. “Maybe what I’m attracted… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I’ve known her long enough to know that this was purely intentional.” He peered sideways at me, judging my reaction. “I like… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Meg,” he whispered. “It wouldn’t be real love if there weren’t the possibility for another response to him. If we couldn’t choose… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I’d stumbled upon the inner sanctuary of a woman who loved the world. Loved the faces of people she saw. Loved the… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“It was the first time I discovered that some girls actually sneak out of the house during slumber parties and meet up… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“He carried her over the Owl Creek mountain range without stopping,” he said, quietly this time. “He carried her until he reached… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I really want to believe that when our Quiet Waters kids wake up in the middle of the night, scared, they’ll remember… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“He ran his hand from my wrist up to the crook of my elbow and then to my shoulder. “When I was… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“My dad used to say, ‘This is what your right arm’s for, son,’” John said. “This is the time and these are… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Let’s go to town,” Jo said. “Take me to eat dinner at the hotel.” I sucked in a breath and stared at… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Quinn spoke their language—all mystery and inside jokes, scarred souls and statement shirts. It was a beautiful moment for him—in his element… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I’d never seen him bare-chested. For the first time, he seemed vulnerable to me. His smooth, tight skin wrapped around the long… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I couldn’t stop crying because it was so intimate, in that way I always thought being physical with him would feel. If… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Here’s what I learned about life when we were going through that. We’re all human and mortal. We’re all going to suffer… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“We bumped into other silent lines of kids going in the same direction. We looked like we were much younger and our… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Here was what I wanted to happen when I walked through the door after my first real date and my first ever… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I worried I would miss it, and I knew, from losing Wyatt, that things happen the moment the soul is released. Wyatt… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“And what do you want?” I almost choked. “How could you even ask me that, Henry?” He sighed. “Because I’m thousands of… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“We formed an impromptu circle just so we could look at each other and memorize faces. We hardly noticed the waiting officials.… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I’m not sure about all the particulars that led to this moment. Do I believe life is a series of dots to… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Okay, news flash. Jealousy is not something I enjoy. I hadn’t felt it much before. But I’d also never been in love.… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“When Dad was in the middle of a description of the hotel’s laundry facility, I interrupted. “Why haven’t you told me today,… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“His room was dark until he switched on his desk lamp. I sat on the floor next to his bed and watched… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“But with her eyes closed, she began to whisper. “If you have someone to love, then love. If you have someone to… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“We all think when we’re young that we want excitement and highs and passion. To hell with ordinary.” I smiled and she… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“For a second, I stared at the map of her veins just under the surface of her thin skin. It was like… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I needed out. The Jeep wasn’t fast enough. I shut it down, grabbed the keys and started running like a bear was… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Do you know how hard it is to paint kindness?” She leaned her hip against a desk in the corner of the… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Hold still, Meg, you’re dripping blood on my car seats.” I reached behind the passenger seat of Tennyson’s car looking for the… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“But I understood, now, that we don’t live only for ourselves. We’re connected by millions of shared experiences and dreams and nightmares, all tied… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Let’s go to town,” Jo said. “Take me to eat dinner at the hotel.” I sucked in a breath and stared at her for… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I turned my ear toward the door because I heard him breathing. When you’re alone and afraid, the simple sound of the steady in… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Every moment of our lives we make choices. Most we don’t even know we’re making, they’re so dull or routine or automatic. Some are… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“He’d had to fold his long legs into his desk. His boots had seen better days, and his jeans unraveled in a curiously irresistible… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I reached down and picked up a baseball bat at my feet and I flung it as hard as it could. It circled and… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I finally understood why so much monkey business happened in the backs of buses. Put us in close proximity, with wheels spinning under us,… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Here’s what I learned about life when we were going through that. We’re all human and mortal. We’re all going to suffer and die.… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“His room was dark until he switched on his desk lamp. I sat on the floor next to his bed and watched him counting… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I could’ve gone on and on but the truth was all that mattered. “My brother died because someone was jealous.” — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“I’d known cruelty in a school—cruelty that would keep these amateurs up all night. But this kind of scene—crowds batting around a person because… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
“Uncommon anxiety came to us in common hours when other people were doing mundane things like taking out the trash or checking their phones.… — Laura Anderson Kurk Copy Share Image
