“That’s the really annoying thing about love. I probably would be happier if I didn’t know it, but once you do know it, once you feel those things for someone, you can’t make yourself really wish it away. It’s like wishing away . . . your soul.- Jenny”

“I know you don’t like to believe you ever need to be taken care of, but I can’t stand the idea of you being sick and alone. I need to be here for you, babe.”

“Stay here with me, Trishy. Don’t go back to your old life. Make a new one, here. With me. I know it’s a hell of a big thing I’m asking—but I’m asking. Stay.- Joe”

“You love me.”He kept gazing upward, his answer coming softly. “Yeah. I do.”

“He holds me. I am his in a way he probably isn't even aware of. Boys shouldn't know what power they have. They would panic probably or just mess things up. But boys are who you give yourself to. Not your parents or your teachers or your "future". You give yourself to a boy. And then you go for long walks at night and think about them and wonder what they will do to you in the end.”

“They fell into each other's arms and she basked in his warmth, his strength, the hardness of his body against hers. He ran his hands through her hair and spoke low in her ear. "I don't know the right way to say this stuff, Tessa, but ... you're the best thing that's happened to me. I've never felt like this before, I've never ... been happy like this.”

“What can I do?” he asked. “To start taking care of you?”