“What a clear, poweful emotion - thankfulness. It hadn't occurred to me in a long time that I could be someone that another person would be thankful for. Not for anything I'd done or said, but simply for who I was, and who I had the potential to be.”

“I was just reminding myself that I could get over heartbreak if it happened another time. ... I'll be back again.Yes, I would be back. I could take chances with my heart and I would be able to bounce back, and anything that might hurt me would just make me stronger in the end.And I did deserve everything I wanted-- somebody who would appreciate me, someone I could trust, someone who liked me for me.”

“I could take chances with my heart and I would be able to bounce back, and anything that might hurt me would just make me stronger in the end. And I did deserve everything I wanted-somebody who would appreciate me, somebody I could trust, someone who liked me for me.”

“And I did deserve everything I wanted -- somebody who wouldappreciate me, someone I could trust, someone who liked me forme.”

“Tracy and I were among the few girls left in our class who hadn't made it to the table as Todd's girl of the moment. I'd never had the desire to be part of their demented version of Noah's Ark, where you could only survive if you were paired up with a member of the opposite sex. If I had to choose between dating Todd and missing the boat, I was fully prepared to drown.”

“I tried to remember what Rita had said about being a bigger person. I could either calmly tell him that he was mistaken or let him have it. I could be the bigger person or I could be like any normal sixteen-year-old.Like there really was a choice."First off, you ever call me a babe again and no medical team on earth will be able to tell that you were once a guy."I was only sixteen after all.”

“I wondered if it would've been too subtle to wear a T-shirt that said thank you for your interest, but I am no longer dating.I knew Todd, wasn't a huge fan of reading, but he did like to stare at my shirts.”