“Is this how it is for everyone?' she whispered.'No.''How do you know?''I just do. I've never felt this with anyone before.''Serious?''Serious. That isn't a line.''Kiss me,' she said.He did. Everywhere.”

“I like you," he said.He made it sound as if she was bound to disagree with him. She nodded. His face said he was telling her something very important.He said, "I mean it. Whatever happens, you have to believe that.”

“She'd never in her whole life bunked school, smoked dope, or kissed a boy whose name she didn't know, and yet in the last few days, she'd done all these things.”

“Dad, you played rounders with me, even though you hated it and wished I'd take up cricket. You learned how to keep a stamp collecion because I wanted to know. For hours you sat in hospitals and never, not once, complained. You brushed my hair like a mother should. You gave up work for me, friends for me, four years of your life for me. You never moaned. Hardly ever. You let me have Adam. You let me have my list. I was outrageous. Wanting, wanting so much. And you never said, 'That's enough. Stop now.”

“Sex," I ask her. "What does it mean?""Poor you," She say's. "You really did get a crap shag, didn't you?”

“I feel something very small growing inside me as I look at her, and I realize in one absolutely clear moment that I don't like her at all.'You know what?' I say. 'Forget it. I'll do the list by myself.'She stands up, swings her stupid hair about and tries to look offended. It's a trick that works with guys, but it makes no difference to the way I feel about her.”

“There's a gang of boys on bikes blocking the road ahead. They've got their hoods up, cigarettes shielded. The sky's a really strange colour and there's hardly anyone else about. I slow right down."What shall I do?""Reverse," Zoey says. "They're not going to move."I wind down the window. "Oi!" I yell "Move your arses!"They turn languid, shift lazily to the edge of the road and grin as I blow kisses at them.Zoey looks stunned, "What's got into you?""Nothing- I just haven't learned reversing yet.”