“It's a good thing we're pretty to look at," I said as Lend sat down on the orange plastic seats next to me. "Because we don't have much else going for us as bowlers.”

“We sat down and Lend put his arm around me. Every single jaw at the table dropped."Man," John said, shaking his head. "All this time I was pretty sure you were gay.”

“Maybe sometimes we don't do the right thing because the wrong thing looks more dangerous, and we don't want to look scared, so we go and do the wrong thing just because it's dangerous. We're more concerned with not looking scared than with judging right.”

“Glenn could see I was bricking it and turned round to me as I sat there, gripping the armrests."You all right?" he said."I hate flying, Boss. I'm shitting myself.""Don't worry, Merse. It's going to be OK. We *won't* crash."I thought, "Thank God for that. Glenn's said we're going to be safe. Nothing's going to fuck with us now.”

“i want to hear what's happened to you," she said evenly after a while. she gestured in the direction, down river, of the butcher shop. "it's just that there is nowhere else to start," she said gently. "niether of us is the same. but i'm different because of small, good, manageable things. you're different because ... things i don't know.”

“I sat up and the blankets fell away.I looked down and found I was wearing pokemon pajamas."Sadie,"I said,"I'm going to kill you."She batted her eyes innocently."But the street merchant gave us a very good deal on those.Walt said they would fit you."Walt raised his hand."Don't blame me,man.I tried to stick up for you."Bes snorted,then did a pretty good imitation of Walt's voice:"At least get the extra-large ones with Pikachu.”