“Do you think Cabel knows?"Have you thought about asking him?"Janie glances up to read her face. Bites her quivering lip to still it. "We're not exactly on speaking terms right now."Captain sighs. "I gathered that." Carefully she says, "Cabel has his own demons and if he doesn't get on with killing them soon, I'm going to kick his ass...”

“Cabel: Um, Janie?Janie: Yesss, Cabel?Cabel: I have another lie to confess.Janie: Oh, dear. What is it?Cabel: I do, actually, know what my GPA is.Janie: And?Cabel: And. I have a full-ride scholarship.Cabel is pushed violently from the beanbag chair. And pounced upon. And told, repeatedly, what a bastard he is.Janie is told that she will most certainly get a scholarship too, with her grades. Unless she plays hooky with drug dealers.”

“Captain looks at Janie closely. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," she says. "You're gonna have a heck of a shiner by the time the day's over. Did you black our?""I...uh..." Janie shrugs. "I really have no idea.""Yes, I think she did." Cabel cuts in. "I'm going to need to watch her all day. And probably all night, too," he adds. Very, very seriously.The captain throws a rubber eraser at him and sends him out for coffee.”

“Cabel regards Janie and sighs. 'I know you can handle it, Janie. You're such a damn martyr. It's tiring, really, having this same argument with you every time you've got shit happening. Just let it go. I'm not leaving.' He smiles faux-diplomatically.”

“Janie: Did you ever sell drugs?Cabel: Yes. Pot. Ninth and tenth grade. I was, uh...rather troubled back then.Janie: Why did you stop?Cabel: Got busted, and Captain made me a better deal. Janie: So you've been a narc since then? Cabel: I cringe at your terminology.”

“Hey Cabe?" she says, drying her hair, feeling refreshed. Grinning. Putting all thoughts but one aside for the moment. "You wanna go get Jimmy a raincoat and we'll take care of you?"Cabel looks at her.Turns his head and narrows his eyes.Who the hell is Jimmy?”