“And ever so faintly,I could hear Josh rapping to his posse's beat.I couldn't make out most of what he was saying, but I thought I caught the word prepubescent.”

“It's his word against the Commander's, unless he wants to head a posse. Kick in the door, and what did I tell you? Caught in the act, sinfully Scrabbling. Quick, eat those words. ”

“The latter is very prepubescent.""Prepubescent!" Josh gasped. "Prepubescent!""I am totally pubescent," one of his friends said.Another said haughtily, "I will have you know that my mom and I are going to Aspen to shop for training bras this weekend."I rolled my eyes. "Later." I slid off the bench and stood."Hey,we're helping you go off the jump again tomorrow,right?" Josh asked, using the word helping very loosely."Yeah," another boy said, "eleventh time's the charm."I looked toward the Galaga machine. Fiona was still there, yet Nick was gone. Probably just to order her a drink.Ordinarily, I would have bounced all over the restaurant searching for him so I could flirt him out of Fiona's pink-nailed grasp. But the whoopee cushion had taken the wind out of my sails.”

“Josh, you saw him," Tally says, "What did he look like? Did he look nice?""He looked like a person," Josh grunts."Don't be a spoilsport," Tally says, and Caid hears her smack Josh on the arm."Shortish, blondish, thinish," Josh says."Thank you, Josh," Caid says, "Your way with words astounds me yet again.""Well, whatever," Tally says. "What did you guys talk about? You said he's nice?""We talked about a lot of things. And yeah, he's—I mean, we traded numbers, so hopefully he'll call.""I hope so, too," Tally says. "I'm glad you have somebody to hang out with now.""Because I was such horrible company?" Josh says, voice thick and deep like he's got a mouthful of ice cream."I wouldn't say horrible," Caid says. "Unbearable, maybe. Like one of those YouTube videos that never loads." And with that, he shoots a shit-eating grin in Josh's direction, and shovels a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.”

“I couldn't save Kataoka."If I loved him, I had to grant him his last wish."So I told him what he wanted to hear."I said, 'No, you're no longer human.'"I hadn't been able to say anything.I couldn't speak, I couldn't move, I couldn't understand a word of what Miu was telling me."Kataoka smiled kindly."Like he was thanking me."Then he jumped off the roof."Osamu Dazai and I killed him.”

“You’re the kind of girl I could fall in love with,” he whispered, so softly that I almost didn’t hear him. His lips caught mine again before I could respond.”