“I wasn’t about to tell him that I never said anything to anyone who teased me. I just went along with it like it was my joke too. I wanted everyone to like me…”

“Sure, the Americans want to joke about sacrifice, but then they want to go back to their hotels and sip fancy drinks by the pool. They like to climb the pyramid, take their photos, but they never think about the people who built such amazing temples. They never want to learn about the culture behind the climb.”

“I'm crying for the little girl whose mother divorced her father, the girl who wanted to fall in love for the first time but wasn't ready for sex, the girl who dated a boy just because he wasn't the first one, the girl who fell hard for the guy with the easy smile and the green eyes, the girl who needed to prove she could hook up on a class trip, the girl who rand for student council just to impress a guy, the girl who lost her best friend, the girl whose father doesn't care anymore, the girl who doesn't have the money for college, the girl who just wants her grandma to fix everything, the girl who doesn't talk to anyone about anything, the girl who just can't fall in love again - even if a sweet guy folds a thousand paper cranes. Just for her.”

“I think it's because he likes you.' 'Well, that's too bad. I've given up that kind of thing.' 'What kind of thing?' 'Love, dating, the inevitable ensuing heartbreak.”

“You don't have anything to lose by standing up for yourself,' Nando said. 'But you can lose yourself by trying to please everyone.”

“The gods wanted to create creatures who would worship them. First they made the animals, but they couldn’t talk. Then the gods created people out of mud, but when it rained, they fell apart. Then the gods created people out of wood, but they had no feelings, so the gods washed them away in a big flood. Finally, the gods created people out of corn, and they turned out just right.”

“What do you want, Annika?" He dipped his head so his lips brushed her ear."Make me come." "God, Creed. Make me come.""Don't say it like it's an order. Ask for it.""No.""That's my Ani," he murmured. "Too proud to beg." "You get what you want when I get what I want.""Please. Please make me come.""Too late for begging," he said against her ear. "I want more now.""What do you want?""I want the truth," he said. "I want to hear you say you want me.""Creed." "Say it.""Can't.""Say it.""I want you," she blurted, unable to stop herself or the giant sob that followed.~Annika/Creed”