“I gave a relenting sigh. "Fine! I'll throw on some clothes. Turn around. I'm in my pj's." Pj's that consisted of nothing but a tank top and boy shorts--an image I didn't want to sear into Scott's mind. Scott smiled. "I'm a guy. That's like asking a kid not to glance at the candy counter." Ugh. The dimple in his cheek deepened. And it was not in any way cute...”

“Fine! I'll throw on some clothes. Turn around. I'm in my pj's""I'm a guy. That's like asking a kid not to glance at the candy counter.”

“What's wrong?" asked Scott."It's the way I treated Julie, like she was the enemy. But she's not. She's the one I'm trying to save from the enemy.”

“He inclined his head at my dress. "What's the occasion?" "Homecoming," I said, twirling. "Like?""Last I heard, Homecoming requires a date.""About that," I hedged. "I'm sort of...going with Scott. We both figure a high-school dance is the last place Hank will be patrolling."Patch smiled, but it was tight. "I take that back. If Hank wants to shoot Scott, he has my blessing.”

“I like my first lines short and declarative. No complicated sentences. Of course, that's not really a Scott thing. It's pretty classic grab-the-reader technique.”

“Scott glanced at his watch but didn't register what it said. The notion of time had become as absurd as the quietly glowing trees.”