“Every now and then,during the commercialsDad will say something like,'How was school today, Sophie Dophie?'Once I said, 'We played strip pokerduring third period and I lost.'Dad just said, 'That's nice,'without even looking up from his meatloaf.”

“If Dylan and I had metby chatting on the Netin a room of cyberspaceinstead of face to faceand I hadn't seen his lipsor the way he moves his hipswhen he does that sexy danceand I hadn't had a chanceto look into his eyesand be dazzled by their sizeand all that I had seenwere his letters on my screen,then I might as well confess:I think I would have liked himless.”

“I know this sounds incredibly lame,but I don't want losing my virginityto feel like I'm losing something. I want it to feel like I'm finding something. I want sex to be amazing.I want it to be life-alteringly wonderful.And I want it to happen with someone I love.”

“I wish he hadn't gone and cut his hair.He looks about eight years old.His ears have tripled in size.Everyone's started calling him Dumbo.Which wouldn't be so bad,except they've started calling meMrs. Dumbo.You can't even tellhe's got curly hair anymore.There's nothing leftto run my fingers through.Just this weirdblond AstroTurfsprouting out of his skull.”

“I love that sign," I say."I love you," Robin says.I feel my cheeksturn the color of the sky."I love you, too," I say.”

“There’s something so great about this,” she whispers. About what?” I whisper back.About this,” she whispers. About being outlaws. It’s just you and me—against the world.”

“When we kiss, his lips on mine are like CPR--breathing the life back into me.”