“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 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.”

“But most days,I wander around feeling invisible.Like I'm a speck of dustfloating in the airthat can only be seenwhen a shaft of light hits it.”

“I kiss her like my life depends on it.”

“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.”

“The only thing worse than not getting what you want, is getting it.”

“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.”