I hated myself for being too weak to believe in others.

Rose-colored boy / I hear you making all that noise / About the world you want to see

He should be my simplest, strongest friendship. But because of loss, everything is twisted between us.

It's Gorgug. Keep going.

Portrait: The Boy with All the Keys in the World with All the Locks

As he did, he thought about Luke talking about literary tropes—the fearless hero, the valiant heroine, and where did it all leave him? Sidekick: a horrible indignity, Elliot refused to accept it.

All over the gray façade of his father’s house in scarlet letters he wrote: ELLIOT SCHAFER. He almost added: “was here” but did not, because it did not encompass all he wanted to say: was here, is no longer here, is somewhere almost unimaginably different, is all right.

“Why were we friends, again?” “Because you were a freak and I was a freak, and being two freaks together was better than being two freaks alone.”

“I did,” Navani said. “The tones were a terrible cacophony when combined, but somehow beautiful at the same time.” “Like the two of us?” Raboniel asked. “Like the two of us.”

There always has to be destruction... Before rebirth.

“What’s your name?” “Serene.” “Serena?” Elliot asked. “Serene,” said Serene. “My full name is Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle.” Elliot’s mouth fell open. “That is badass.”

Deep down, you've always wanted Buffy to accept you, to love you, even.

You pulled me into focus (I will pull you so close)

The only thing I ever did right was be your best friend. That's the only thing I ever got right. And I can't even do that!

Because all I have going for me is the desire to keep moving forward!

Whatever you think, Dino, this isn’t your story; it’s mine. I may die at the end, but I’m still the hero and you ain’t even the villain. You’re nothing but a pathetic unnamed background character who doesn’t make it out of the second act.

And I wonder what would happen / If I surrender to the sound

But they were his first friends, his only friends, and Wylan knew that even if he'd had his pick of a thousand companions, these would have been the people he chose.

Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Truthless of Shinovar, wore white on the day he was to kill a king.

For a moment, Elliot thought that he would throw away the treaty and everything the treaty meant, if only he could make Luke feel better. It was a ridiculous thing to think. Elliot was worried he was coming down with something.