Simone Elkeles

“You once said you loved me. Do you still?"My sister is watching this exchange between us. She smiles warmly at me, giving me the strength to tell him the truth. "I never stopped loving you. Even when I tried desperately to forget you. I couldn't.”

“I can't help but smile as I swipe a lone tear trailing down my cheek. How can I not be crazy in love with this guy? Time away from him didn't change anything. I can't deny him another chance. That would be denying myself. ”

“I want to tell her how much she's become the center of my being. But I can't. The words won't come.”

“I’m staring into chocolate eyes. although my brain is cloudedand I’m dizzy, I know enough to register that chocolate is theopposite of blue. I don’t want blue. Blue confuses me too much.Chocolate is straight-forward, easier to deal with.”

“The reason I want you to put a shirt on is, well, because, um..." "You've never seen a guy with his shirt off?" "Ha, ha. Very funny. Believe me, you don't have anything I haven't seen before." "Wanna bet?" he says, then moves his hands to the button on his jeans and pops it open. Isabel walks in at that exact moment. "Whoa, Alex. Please keep your pants on.”

“I don't deserve you. You know that, querida, don't you? (Alex)”

“You're where I want to be.”

“One of the things that makes me who I am is the loyalty I have to people I hold close to my heart.”

“I want to try making things right because picking up the pieces is way better than leaving them the way they are.”

“What is this?' 'A Smart Car' It looked like an SUV took a dump and out came the Smart Car”

“Do you play football?' Brandon asks. 'No.' 'Baseball?' 'Nope.' Brandon is on a roll and won't stop until he's found the answer he's looking for. 'Tennis?' 'That would be a nada' 'Then what sport do you play?' Carlos puts down his food. Oh, no. He's got a rebellious gleam in his eye as he says, 'The horizontal tango.' ...Alex stands and says through chlenched teeth, 'Carlos let's talk. In private. Ahora.' ....Brandon turns to my dad with big, innocent eyes. 'Daddy, do you know how to do the horizontal tango?”

“But wishes are only granted in fairy tales.”

“being afraid to take chances is scarier than actually doing things that challenge you.”

“Oh, and just so you know, before we go out to the field we all get into a huddle and yell 'Go Queers!' really loud.”

“La cucaracha, La cucaracha, Ya no puede caminar, porque no tiene, porque le falta, I don't know the rest, la la la la!”

“A Mexican guy named Sam pushes Gary Frankel next to Isabel. "This guy can break your arm with one snap, asshole. Get out of my sight before I sic him on you," Sam says. Gary, who's wearing a coral shirt and white pants, growls to look tough. It doesn't work.”

“Feelings can't be a part of this game.”

“If you consider yourself a friend, dont tell me." Because if i know the rumors, i'll feel like i have to confront the. and right this second i want to live in ignorant bliss.”

“Being told when to shit, shower, shave, eat, and sleep isn't my idea of paradise. But then again, Paradise, where i grew up, wasn't paradise either. I'm wondering if paradise is just some word in the dictionary with the definition: this doesn't fucking exist.--Caleb to himself”

“what could i do to make the one i loved love me back ?”

“the scary part is that people don't realize how much they've changed .”

“Alex took a piece of my heart with him when he left.”

“Picking up the pieces is way better than leaving them the way they are.”

“- Just do you know, Lenny this isn't a date.- Then what is it?- It's me falling sorry for you, because you're such a loser.”

“I don't play games with people's lives like you do.”

“I guess we're all a bunch of mismatched couples - that actually fit”

“Who knew Lenny was an encyclopedia for useless information?”

“Running should be saved for the times when you're being chased.”

“From the look of us, you'd never know we slept in the same bed last night and made out like the world was going to end if we stopped.”

“My brain tells me it will be better to just let him go.My heart... not so much.”

“Our lie is like a cancer that's spread to every single area of our lives.”

“Doing something positive will help turn your mood around. When you smile, your body relaxes. When you experience human touch and interaction, it eases tension in your body.”

“Love isn't about honesty. It's about protecting the people you love from things that will hurt them.”

“Love is honesty. Love is a mutual respect for one another.”

“I wish I could turn back time, but I can't. I made a stupid decision because I thought I was invincible, and I'll pay for it the rest of my life.”

“Whether it's right or wrong, fight for what you believe in.”

“I saw you happy. Happier than you've been in a long time. With someone you like that much, the lows are as low as the highs are high.”

“Before i was jumped in i remember Lucky telling us how being in a gang was like having a second family... a family who would be there when your own family wasn't. They would offer protection and security. It sounded perfect to a kid who'd lost his father.”

“Secrets she'll take to the grave and secrets she's dying to share.”

“It'd be cool if God gave everyone a Do Over Day and you could yell "Do Over!" and the day would start new.”

“Everyone knows im perfect. My life is perfect. My clothes are perfect. Even my family is perfect. And although its a complete lie, i've worked my butt off to keep up the appearence that i have it all. The truth, if it were to come out, would destroy my entire picture-perfect image.”

“Tofu tacos are not Mexican. I think putting tofu on anything and calling it Mexican is an insult to my people.”

“(Kiara sees Carlos' bleeding face)"Carlos! Oh my God, what happened?""You still recognize me with a busted-up face. That's a good sign, right?”

“We kiss all the time." I clear my throat, then add, "We just...do it in private." "A smug expression crosses his face. "I don't buy it for a second, 'cause if you were my girlfriend and a stud like me was livin' in your house, I'd kiss you in front of the guy every chance I got as a reminder." "A reminder of w-w-what?" "That you were mine.”

“We're actors in our lives, pretendin' to be who we want people to think we are.”

“Tell me what we had was real, I whisper.”

“You are the one girl that made me risk eveything for a future worth having.”

“[Life]It is what you make it. If you think you can't change the world, then go on and follow the path already carved out for you. But there are other roads to choose, they're just harder to trudge through. Changing the world is'nt easy, but I sure as hell am going to keep trying. Are you?”

“Kiss me to see if we still have it. 'Cause you own my heart,soul,and everything else in between.”

“It's cool in the basement, so I pull the blanket up to my chest. Caleb slides in beside me, and I feel his bare legs against mine. "You're shivering," he says, his voice a low whisper."I'm a little cold... and a little nervous.""Don't be nervous, Maggie. It's juste me."It's the real Caleb, without the tough facade. I'm glad it's completely dark now and he can't see my trembling fingers as they move up to his beautiful face. "I know."He pulls me closer. I rest my head in the crook of his arm and am more content than ever."Maggie ?""Yeah ?""Thanks.""For what ?""For making me feel alive again."I drape my arm across his chest, the warmth of his skin melting into mine. I want to remember this night forever, because we'll probably never get another chance to hold each other like this again. It makes me want to do more than just sleep in his arms. I try and relax, to slow my own erratic heartbeat as I wrap my right leg, the one that wasn't severely damaged in the accident, around him. It's a definite hint that I'm ready to do more than just lie in his arms.He moans in response. "Maggie, you're treading into dangerous territory. I'm trying to be a good, honorable guy here."" I know. But I'm not asking you to be one.""You sure you know what you're getting into ?""Nope. I've got no clue." I start kissing and feeling my way across his broad chest."You're killing me", he says, his hands slowly reaching for me and urging me up so we're face to face.”