“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.”

“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.”

“Walking with Murphythrough the bone-freezing chilltoward the bus stop,I start shivering.And somehow,when he slips his arm around meto warm me up,it feels right.Righter than anything ever has.”

“And I flat out refuseto have one of those livesthat I wouldn’t even wantto read about.”

“We've turned off all the lightsin the living roomto make hand shadows.We've got thisbig flashlightaimed at the wall.I make the silhouette of my handinto a duck.Robin makes his into a rabbit.Now my duck kisses his rabbitAnd-POOF!- it turns intoa turkey.And for some reasonthis strikes usas hysterically funny.But you probably had to be there.”

“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.”

“Culture ClashDylan sayswhen I meet his mother todayI shouldn't mentionthat I'm Jewish.I sayokay, but can I tell her aboutthe HIV postive thing?He gives me a look.I give him one back”