“Clare. Give me a reason to stay.”

“Last Year Clare would have a lot to say to This Year Clare if she could have peeked into the future and seen me in Kendra Kiger's house. She'd probably slap me upside the head and say some variation of "Hey, Future Clare, wtf?”

“She’d probably slap me upside the head and say some variation of 'Hey, Future Clare, wtf?”

“MY MOUTH OPENED.Way to go, Clare. Way to impress the mother of a prospective boyfriend. Moms love their boys to date psycho overprotective girls.”

“Well, I can feel superior for my good deed.” I flashed him a smile. “How’s that for a selfish reason?”

“We want who we want, right? No matter what other people say. No matter what reason or reality we’re faced with. No matter what facts our brains process. The heart’s a stubborn organ.”

“Well, color me impressed.”