Kim Harrington

“We want who we want, right? No matter what other people say. No matter what reason or reality we’re faced with. No matter what facts our brains process. The heart’s a stubborn organ.”

“Were Gabriel and I going to fall in love? Be together forever? Live our lives happily as soul mates? Who the hell knew something like that? Isure didn’t. I can’t see the future.All I knew was that I would love finding out.”

“blown into my life like a hurricane, turned me upside down, challengedme at every turn. And, together, we sparked like lightning.”

“Gabriel?” I said.“Yeah?” His voice was breathless.“Kiss me.”

“You’re the most important person in the world tome.” I quickly added in a hushed voice, “Don’t tell Mom. She’ll be jealous.”

“And you managed to leave the house and be the hero. Who do you think you are, Spider-Man?”

“This wasn’t the time or place for it, so I hid it away in a little drawer in the back of my mind,marked DEAL WITH LATER.”

“I leaned forward and slapped her across the face. Probably a bit harder than I needed to, but it worked.”

“Kendra was on Gabriel like a predator on a slab of meat.”

“He was never one to care whether a person was popular or not. Exhibit A … me.”

“A sea of people in red crowded around it. I looked atMallory’s black hoodie and my gray sweater and realized we’d forgotten to wear the school colors. Oh, well. There was always my hair.”

“Well, that narrowed down the list of suspects.To the whole world.”

“Well, I can feel superior for my good deed.” I flashed him a smile. “How’s that for a selfish reason?”

“Wow, you mean Tiffany’s an evil wench? I’m shocked. Shocked, I tell you!” I patted my heart in faux surprise.”

“Perry would disown me for wearing a Yankees sweatshirt, but he would never know, and I was too cold to care about team loyalty.”

“She’d probably slap me upside the head and say some variation of 'Hey, Future Clare, wtf?”

“Apparently my inner self is mute.”

“I hate procrastinating, so much so that I often do my homework on Friday so it won’t be hanging over my head all weekend long. The goodthing is, my (nonexistent) social life doesn’t usually interfere with this quirk of mine.”

“MY MOUTH OPENED.Way to go, Clare. Way to impress the mother of a prospective boyfriend. Moms love their boys to date psycho overprotective girls.”

“He seemed to be having a staring contest with one of the candles”

“Welcome to Lorelei's." A saleslady glided up to us. She had white foundation pancaked skin, and went heavy on the eyeliner and red lipstick. She wore a corset that barely contained...I'm gonna say it...her swelling bosom. If she had to sneeze, I was covering my eyes because even a slight cough could pop one of those suckers free.”

“But if they stripped all those labels off, people might be shocked to find a normal girl beneath. Who doesn’t want to spend her days on the defensive. Who wants what everyone else wants. To be loved.”

“And you pretend to be stupid, which is completely disingenuous. Big word, but I know you know what it means.”

“Last Year Clare would have a lot to say to This Year Clare if she could have peeked into the future and seen me in Kendra Kiger's house. She'd probably slap me upside the head and say some variation of "Hey, Future Clare, wtf?”

“The gossip mill runs on estrogen.”

“Please, someone tell me I wouldn‘t be that annoying if I had girlfriends.”

“Humidity did terrible things to me. I‘d be much prettier if I lived in the desert.”

“Did you know that ninety-eight percent of statistics are made up on the spot?”

“Clare. Give me a reason to stay.”

“Ugh. I was going for ‘crazy ex filled with hate" not "isn’t she cute when she’s mad?”

“I think the correct term for this was ‘pissing contest’, and though I was flattered, I didn’t have time for it.”

“Pass me the Academy Award. I don’t know how I did it, but hysterical-girl tears sprung from my eyes as I ran out of the room and down the grand staircase.”

“Well, color me impressed.”

“Yellow police tape stretched across the motel room door. I stood beside it, waiting for Mr. Stick-Up-His-Butt to finish up in the office.”

“Come, fruit of my loins, we’re going for a walk.”

“You can date every girl in town as far as I’m concerned. I hate you. I pray every night that you’ll fall victim to some strange and unusual castration accident.”

“Tiffany’s pale faced turned to green and I involuntarily took a step back, half expecting an Exorcist-style stream of vomit to shoot out of her gaping mouth.”

“Excitement in Eastport? Nay! But I had time to snoop around Nancy Drew style.”

“He had a matching bandage on his head. We looked like two idiots who’d decided to have a head-butting competition”

“I pictured him in uniform. Let's just say the picture was...nice.”

“I knew about loyalty about putting family before all others. I'd already learned some things I'd do to protect my own. I'd withold infomation from the police. I'd use people. I'd lie. If pushed hard........how far would I go.”

“Kissing Gabriel was like an exotic vacation.Kissing Justing was like coming home again.I wanted this.”

“I had books and music and the ocean to swim in.”

“The dumbass?' Justin asked.'Yes, you're not the only one in town. Who knew?”

“Listen, I gather you have a problem working with a psychic. Believe me, I don't like working with a jackass any better.”

“That's my brother," I said. "Saving the world, one girl at a time.”

“Maybe she's suicidal? That's why she keeps inviting me to kill her?”

“You know where you can shove your joke. Just get me a new drink and try not to include and of your STD-laced body fluid in it this time.”

“Gabriel Toscano. Damn. Even his name was sexy.”