“Your pupils are dilated," he said. "I think-""Yes?" I breathed."I think you have a concussion."I blinked. A concussion? That's so not where I thought he was going.”

“I thought you called dibs on him.""I did, but you can have him first. After he dumps you, imagine how good I'll look in comparison.""Thanks, that's not insulting at all.”

“I frowned at him. "Isn't sarcasm the opiate of the masses?""You're thinking of religion," he replied. "Sarcasm is the Xanax of the morally bereft.”

“Y'all probably watched a lot of television.""We didn't have TV.""Nintendo, then?"He shook his head."Fantasy football? Xbox?" I frowned. "Please tell me you had Angry Birds.""We had a library," he said, "and a few educational magazines.""Huh. Well, that's just tragic.”

“It always confused me how Smalley managed to keep enrolment limited only to Guardian bloodlines. I don't know, maybe she put some charm up that made people think about dead puppies every time they stepped on campus. That's what I would have done, anyway, if I were headmistress.”

“I glared at him. "Matt said he got a pep talk at his test. I don't rate a pep talk?""You want a pep talk?" He made a fist with one hand, then punched it through the air in a victorious motion. "Go get 'em. You've got twenty-eight minutes.""Dude, do not join the pep squad.”

“You can't deny we work well together. I could be your sidekick, if you want. Like Superman and Lois Lane. Or Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.""Tinker Bell isn't menacing.""Which proves how much you need me," I insisted. "Fairies are terrifying."He sat up straighter and dusted off his pants. "Fairies don't exist. Neither do Graymasons.""That's what humans say about vampires and werewolves," I argued. "So we're agreed.”