Kody Keplinger

“"...we’re all fucking Duffs.” (Designated Ugly Fat Friend)“I’m not the Duff,” Wesley said confidently.“That’s because you don’t have friends.” (Bianca)“Oh. Right.””

“I kissed someone tonight.""Good for you. Now go back to sleep.""It was Wesley...Wesley Rush."Casey shot straight up in bed. "Whoa!" She shook her head and rubbed the sleep from her wide hazel eyes. "Okay, now I'm awake.”

“On the ground, Cash gave a signal, and all the guys lined up by the pool. In unison, they stripped off their shirts and tossed them onto the grass. An audible sigh- like the ones you hear on a sitcom that is "filmed in front of a live studio audience"- filled the room. It was almost funny, really. Such a strong reaction to a bunch of shirtless boys.”

“Calling Vikki a slut or a whore was just like calling somebody the Duff. It was insulting and hurtful, and it was one of those titles that just fed off the inner fear every girl must have from time to time. Slut, bitch, prude, tease, ditz. They were all the same. Every girl felt like one of these sexist labels described her at some point.”

“Wesley Rush no persigue a las chicas, pero te está persiguiendo a ti.”

“Sometimes it's hard to predict who will make a person happy. But in the end, that's what matters.”

“You can't control everything. Sometimes you just need to relax and have faith that things will work out. Let go a little and just let life happen.”

“And there was no way I could talk about it with Dad. Our version of "the talk" had been him clearing his throat awkwardly for about ten minutes straight as he attempted to explain to me the importance of condoms. I was fourteen, and, needless to say, it was an experience I never wanted to relive.”

“I shook my head. "Don’t bother making excuses," I said. "Don’t waste your time because, the fact is, I am the Duff. But so is everyone else in the world. We’re all fucking Duffs." "I’m not the Duff," Wesley said confidently. "That’s because you don’t have friends." "Oh. Right.”

“It was almost funny, really. Such a strong reaction to a bunch of shirtless guys.”

“Learn some manners or I'll email the whole high school about how small your dick is - because we both know that I'm aware of exactly how small it is.""Whore," he muttered, shooting Chloe a filthy glare over his shoulder."Ha. You might have better luck with a whore, actually. Me You couldn't pay me to bang you again. Dick's too minuscule to keep a lady satisfied.”

“I meant that a decent guy - a smart guy - wouldn't have let something like sex ruin a good thing.”

“I don't think normal exists.”

“...I felt like I had nothing. Nothing but my body. It's the one thing I can control. For me, sex is my way of taking control of my body. I'm in charge.”

“Sorry," she said. "I'm just ... surprised. It's weird. Sex was never scary to me." She paused. "So what about it do you find scary? Like, penises? Because I can see how those might be a little scary.”

“Hey there, Lissa Daniels," he said. He raised his Coke. "Would you like to say hello to your distant cousin, Jack?”

“I don't want to hear the end of that sentence! It's bad enough that he's flirting with my coworker.""He's flirting with Cash? Now that's hot.""What? No! Jenna, not Cash. Geez, Chloe.”

“I was thinking about how much I wanted to reenact that part in the shower with my hot, sexy, gorgeous girlfriend. And how she wouldn't need a butt double because she's perfect already.""You smooth talker, you.""I was also thinking how much sexier I am than that guy she was screwing in the shower.”

“I'm serious. They'll call me a pussy.""And if you help them, I'll call you a dick. So no matter what you do, you're going to be some form of genitalia.”

“You amaze me Lissa Daniels. Most girls would cave as soon as I gave them the puppy-dog look with these amazing eyes.""Sorry. I like boys. Not dogs. You should've dated a different girl if you wanted someone to bend to your will.”

“He wasn't perfect, or even remotely close, for that matter, but, hey, neither was I. We were both pretty fucked up. Somehow, though, that made everything more exciting. Yeah, it was sick and twisted, but that's reality, right? Escape is impossible, so why not embrace it?”

“I mean, there is a reason its initials are VD. I bet you more people contract syphilis on Valentine's Day than on any other day of the year. What a cause for celebration.”

“Just when I think you might have a soul, you say shit like that.”

“I'm perfectly fine with being used. But I would like to know for what I'm being used.DistractionThat much I gathered. What am I supposed to be distracting you from? There's a chance that if I knew, I could do my job more effectively.”

“What did one do after having a one-night stand (or, in my case, one-afternoon stand) with the school's biggest man-whore?”

“I wanted to make sure you were fine...and that he was okay, too. You didn't, like, stab the boy, did you? I mean, I totally disapprove of murdering hotties, but if you need help burying the body, you know I'll bring the shovel.”

“I’d never felt like this, like I wanted to climb into another person’s skin.”

“I’m the wind beneath your wings”

“He was sweet and charming and smart... but my feelings for Wesley were way beyond that. I'd skipped the crush kiddie pool and jumped right into the deep, shark-infested ocean of emotions. And, if you'll forgive the dramatic metaphor, I was a lousy swimmer.”

“I don't like him," I explained. "He annoys the hell out of me ninety-six percent of the time, and sometimes I'd like nothing better than to strangle him to death. But at the same time I... I want him to be happy. I think about him way more than I should, and I -""You love him.”

“That just proves there's something going on with you and Mr. Jackass.”

“The winter sky has already turned black, but I could still see Wesley's gray eyes in the darkness. They were exactly the color of the sky before a thunderstorm.”

“Your sense of humor needs some work, then,' Wesley suggested. 'Most girls find my jokes charming.''Those girls must have IQs low enough to trip over.”

“Wesley Rush doesn't date, he fucks - everyone, for that matter.”

“Why did that jackass have to sit next to me?”

“Go try your charming act on some tramp with low self-esteem, because I'm not falling for it.”

“Then maybe I'll hit on this sweaty, oversexed football player. Maybe we'll have meaningful discussions about politics and philosophy while we bump 'n grind. Ugh. Yeah, right.”

“Don’t lie to yourself because you think nit’s safer. Reality doesn’t work like that…”

“You can lie to yourself if you want, but reality is going to catch up with you. I’ll be waiting when it does… whether you like it or not.”

“No matter where you go or what you do to distract yourself, reality catches up with you eventually.”

“I think about you much more than any self-respecting man would like to admit, and I'm insanely jealous of Tucker - something I never thought I'd say. Moving on after you is impossible. No other girl can keep me on my toes the way you can. No one else makes me WANT to embarrass myself by writing sappy letters like this one.Only you.”

“Wesley Rush doesn't chase girls, but I'm chasing you.”

“No rush. This time things were slow and earnest. This time I wasn't looking for an escape. This time it was about him. About me. About honesty and compassion and everything I'd never expected to find in Wesley Rush.”

“Spanish, huh?" he said, glancing down at the scattered papers as he grabbed them. "Can you say anything interesting?""El tono de tu voz hace que queria estrangularme." I stood up and waited for him to hand over my papers."That sounds sexy," he said, getting to his feet and handing me the stack of Spanish work he'd swept together. "What's it mean?""The sound of your voice makes me want to strangle myself.""Kinky.”

“Yeah, it was sick and twisted, butthat’s reality, right? Escape is impossible, so why notembrace it?”

“You're a disgusting, shallow, womanizing jackass, and I hope that soda stains your preppy little shirt." Just before I marched away, i looked over my shoulder and added, "And my name isn't Duffy. it's Bianca. we've been in the same homeroom since middle school, you selfabsorbed son of a bitch.”

“First:"Wesley Rush doesn’t chase girls. They chase him.”Then:“You’re right. Wesley Rush doesn’t chase girls, and I’m not chasing you”But in the end:"Wesley Rush doesn’t chase girls, but I’m chasing you" ♥”

“Wesley Rush was the most disgusting womanizing playboy to ever darken the doorstep of Hamilton High… but he was kind of hot. Maybe if you could put him on mute… and cut off his hands… maybe—just maybe—he’d be tolerable then. Otherwise, he was a real piece of shit. Horn dog shit.”

“Bianca, whore is just a cheap word people use to cut each other down," he said. His voice softer. "It makes them feel better about their own mistakes. Using words like that is easier than really looking into the situation. I promise you, you're not a whore."I looked at him, into his warm gray eyes, and suddently understood what he was trying to tell me. The message hidden beneath the words.You're not alone.”