“The problem, I decided, is that most human beings between the ages of twelve and fifteen look like their needs are special (retarded). ”

“No one would ever know it to look at me that as soon as I'm alone I am busy busy busy in the head.”

“there's not a girl who's more hopeful than a slut, more optimistic.She may give in but she doesn't give up.She keeps looking, she keeps hoping, she's always waiting for that someone who will say it: i love you too.”

“When a state trooper passes me on the highway, I grit my teeth, check my speed, and hope nobody put a dead guy in the trunk while I was in Wal-Mart last night at two a.m.”

“I could ask him if he think "a lot" means the same as "too many"...I could tell him that he shouldn't call a girl a slut because someday she might be somebody's mother...maybe she's a slut because she's lonely, she's sad, she's hoping someone or something will make the lonely and sad go away.”

“Does P-Jamie... like me?"Malcolm blinked. This was clearly not the kind of dirt he'd been expecting."I mean,like me, like me." I clarified quickly. "What are you? Twelve?" he asked, incredulous."You aren't supposed to make fun of me!" I scolded."You never said you were going to act like a teenybopper. That's a special circumstance. Any judge would agree.""Fine." I started to rise. "Like I said, forget I asked.""Wait, Amy. Sit down," he said with a sigh. Malcolm was leaning his fits against the wood, staring down at his knuckles. I sat. "What?"He didn't look up. "This is all just between us, right?""Yeah.""I wouldn't say he likes you.""Oh." Oh. Of course not. How stupid of me. How ridiculous, really-"He's pretty much in love with you.”

“The most irritating thing about cliches, I decided, was how frequently they were true.”