“I really care about her. I mean, we were hopeless. Badly matched. But still. I mean, I said I loved her.”

“You know what's lame, Pudge? I really care about her. I mean, we were hopeless. Badly matched. But still. I mean, I said I loved her... I mean, it's stupid to miss someone you didn't even get along with. but I don't know, it was nice, you know, having someone you could always fight with.”

“Her hair is ridiculous," I said."I know. That was the only thing I said about her that was true. When you say nasty things about people, you should never say the true ones, because you can't really fully and honestly take those back, you know? I mean, there are highlights. And there are streaks. And then there are skunk stripes.”

“Also, it was a bit hopeless," he said. "A bit defeatist.""If by defeatist you mean honest, then I agree.""I don't think defeatism is honest, " Dad answered. "I refuse to accept that.”

“I mean, we're ninjas.""Well maybe you're a ninja," I said"You're just a really loud, awkward ninja," Margo said, "but we are both ninjas.”

“But I could always tell in her eyes if she got really pissed at me, and her eyes were still pretty smiley”

“If I had cared about her as I should have, as I thought I did, how could I have let her go?”