“Boredom is actually the most plentiful substance in the universe.”

“It wasn't that Ginger had messed me up. I realized that most guys would have been grateful. But she had taken some not small thing from me. Nadia was fifteen and she wanted to have sex. I wanted to do her this favor. Hoped that I wouldn't mess her up for life. We were all pretending we knew what we wanted to do with our bodies.”

“For some parents, having children meant full absolution from any future mistakes. My father wouldn't permit himself to be wrong. He shifted the blame of misplaced scissors, rising interest rates, and iceless ice cube trays all unto Riegel and me.”

“Everyone at Bellingham would know me, know who I was, by dinner. Would they consider me the hero or the fuckup? All I had wanted was to be anonymous.”

“In the weeks between my father's visit and Cal's death, I hurt my friend in ways that frightened me.”

“You know, I'm going to make it a point whenever I see you to be like the ocean. You can look to me for relief.”

“Bellingham Academy: everything you always wanted in a prep school and less.”