A Mango-Shaped Space Quotes
"A is for Amy who fell down the stairs," says my best friend, Jenna Davis, as we climb farther down into the steep, parched ravine."
"B is for Basil, assaulted by bears," I reply, continuing the morbid rhyme we memorized off the poster on my bedroom wall."
"The absence of wind today means we’re spared the smell of manure from the Roth’s farm across the valley. That’s something to be thankful for."
"If we lived a little farther south, a tumbleweed would tumble by."
"The color of the leaf is exactly the same color as Jenna’s name — a bright, shimmering shade of green with some yellow highlights."
"Before she died, Jenna’s mom bought us the rope friendship bracelets that we have never taken off."
"I stand back to admire my work. Against a background of blue-gray sky, my grandfather seems to gaze right at me."
"I named him Mango because the sounds of his purrs and his wheezes and his meows are all various shades of yellow-orange, like a mango in different seasons."
"School starts in a few days, and I’m trying to squeeze every last drop out of summer."
"I watch ants file neatly into the ant hole by my feet and remind myself that Jenna and I have known each other forever."
"I hadn’t thought of it that way. I’m really sorry if I made you worry."
"If you spill salt, you have to throw some over your left shoulder to appease the evil spirits. No big deal."
"I open my mouth to disagree but realize I can’t. This is a very sad realization."
"I’m the best speller in my class, and I can remember history really well too. Phone numbers, names, everything."
"I must find Billy now. I have to let his mother know he doesn’t have a brain tumor. He’s not crazy. And neither am I."
"I help myself to a plate of fruit salad and a turkey sandwich."
"But if I couldn’t use my colors, the world would seem so bland — like vanilla ice cream without the gummy bears on top."
"You can lie here for a few minutes if you like," she offers. "Your chi was activated, and you’ll need to release it slowly."
"Your chi," she repeats, "was turned on. Chi is the Chinese word for our internal energy. The acupuncture needles direct it around your body to help you heal."
"Everyone’s different," she says, sticking my chart on a crowded shelf. "Probably a few hours."
"Mango would have wanted to live," I whisper.
"We’re all grieving in our own way, and nobody has the right to tell anyone else what to feel. But some facts can’t be ignored."
"It gets easier, Mia — missing them and feeling guilty and helpless that you couldn’t save them. Oscar kind of settled into my memory, and I take him with me. Does that make sense?"
"Welcome to being human. It’s part of the package."
"How can you say that?" I ask, my voice shaking, "You have no idea at all what I’m going through!"
"It’s possible he won’t notice," Zack offers.