"I'll never let it happen. I'll do everything in my power to keep my sister at home.'I don't want to have a civilized discussion. My parents want to send my sister to a facility behind my back and my head feels like it's about to split open. Leave me alone, okay?'Something is sticking out of my pocket. It's Alex's bandanna. Isabel isn't a friend, yet she helped me. And Alex, a boy who cared about me last night more than my own boyfriend did, acted as my hero and is urging me to be real. Do I even know how to be real?I clutch the bandanna to my chest.And I allow myself to cry."

"I'm ready for something private, private and real."

"I want to try making things right because picking up the pieces is way better than leaving them the way they are."

"Love is honesty. Love is a mutual respect for one another."

"You can't keep her.I know that. But I'm not ready to give her up just yet."

"Can I request another peer guide, One who isn't so happy to be at school at 7:30 a.m.?"

"Listen, I didn't ask for a face and body girls find attractive. But thanks to the mixture of my parents' DNA, I've got them, and I'm not ashamed to use 'em."

"Our lie is like a cancer that's spread to every single area of our lives."

"I gave you my heart, but it wasn't enough."

"One of the things that makes me who I am is the loyalty I have to people I hold close to my heart."

"He laughs. 'Put some clothes on so you don't scare poor Kiara with your morning hard-on.'I look down at my shorts. Sure enough, I've got la tengo dura in front of Kiara and Tuck. Shit. I reach out for the first thing I can grab and put it in front of me to shield myself from view. It happens to be one of Kiara's stuffed animals, but I don't have much choice right now.'That's Kiara's Mojo,' Tuck says, laughing. 'Get it? Mojo?"

"I like that girl more than I can remember likin' anything in my life. I'm not about to give her up. I'll start carin' about what other people think when I'm six feet under."

"Snakes don't have fuckin' legs, so how was I supposed to think there'd be one hidin' in the face of a damn rock that's ten feet below the summit?"

"I wish I could help you' I whisper.You are,' he murmurs against my knee. 'just dont leave me, okay? Everyone leaves me."

"You look like a hot tamale.'That's not really a compliment."

"Hey, Carlos,' the Professor says when he walks in. 'How was REACH?''It sucked.''Can you be more specific?' my guardian asks.'It really sucked,' I elaborate, sarcasm dripping from every word."

"Three things Marco taught me today race through my mind: boys will lie to your face just to have sex with you, don't trust any boy who says I love you, and never date a boy who lives on the south side of Fairfield."

"Just so you know, I'm goin' to enlist.'I'm proud of you. But why?I groan against the pain but manage to give him a half smile. 'I want to make sure Kiara's got a boyfriend who has more to offer than a hot bod and a face that could make angels weep."

"Tonight was... well, it was perfect for me too. You've turned my world upside down. I've fallen in love with you, chica, and it scares the fuckin' shit outta me. I've been shakin' all night, because I knew it.I've tried to deny it, to make you think I wanted you as a fake girlfriend, but that was a lie."

"Maggie squeezes my hand. It's a silent message that everything will be okay. Somehow I believe her. In the end everything will be okay. But hurdles have to be jumped through first."

"Dont ruin my balls!' She laughs as the words leave her mouth.Better yours than mine, chica.' I toss the dough balls at her, one by one, until I've got none left."

"You know those giant stuffed-animal prizes at the carnival? The kind practically nobody wins, except the lucky few? I've never won one.''Yeah. I've never won one, either.''Alex was my giant prize. I hated you for taking him away,' she admits.I shrug. 'Yeah, well, stop hating me. I don't have him, either.''I don't hate you anymore,' she says. 'I've moved on.'I swallow and then say, 'Me, too.'Carmen chuckles. Then, just as she walks out of the room, I hear her mumble, 'Alex sure as hell hasn't."

"What are you boys doing? she asks, as if we're still little kids messing around.'Arguin', Carlos says matter-of-factly."

"I'll always love you, no matter what happens, okay?"

"Doing something positive will help turn your mood around. When you smile, your body relaxes. When you experience human touch and interaction, it eases tension in your body."

"Alex and Carlos-the tag team from hell. They're the last people I need shit from right now. If they decide to trail me, too, I'll have an entire entourage.'I'm fine.'Then sit up and talk to us.'Okay, in that case I'm not fine. Go away. I moan. 'Unless you want me to puke all over you."

"Nice girl. Wears too much makeup.''Most chicks hate her.''Most chicks wish they looked like her. And they wish they had her money and boyfriend.'I stop and regard her in disgust. 'Burro Face?''Oh, please, Alex. Colin Adams is cute, he's the captain of the football team and Fairfield's hero. You're like Danny Zuko in Grease. You smoke, you're in a gang, and you've dated the hottest bad girls around. Brittany is like Sandy ... a Sandy who'll never show up to school in a black leather jacket with a ciggie hangin' from her mouth. Give up the fantasy."

"She's a Texan, born and raised. Football is in our blood."

"Are you following me?' she asks, but doesn't meet my gaze.'Yeah,' I say.'Why?'I give her the only honest and true answer I have. 'You're where I want to be."

"Expectations make people miserable, so whatever yours are, lower them. You'll definitely be happier."

"Being brave is not as easy as it looks."

"If my name was Richard, I'd go by Richard or Rich...not Dick. Hell I'd even settle for being called Chard."

"Makin' mistakes ain't a crime, you know. What's the use of having a reputation if you can't ruin it every now and then?"

"I want to make sure Kiara's got a boyfriend who has more to offer than a hot bod and a face that could make angels weep."

"And my piece of advice is...don't flirt with any of the female instructors. They all have access to weapons bigger than yours."

"He's my brother, my blood. He annoys the hell out of me most of the time, but when it comes right down to it I want to see him graduate from college and have little annoying mini-Alexes and mini-Brittanys running around in the future."

"Tofu tacos are not Mexican. I think putting tofu on anything and calling it Mexican is an insult to my people."

"The Professor doesn't have a problem being called Dick? If my name was Richard, I'd go by Richard or Rich . . . not Dick. Hell, I'd even settle for being called Chard."

"I lead Paco through the house. We pass Shelley in the family room looking at some magazine. 'Shelley, this is Paco. He's Alex's friend. Paco, this is my sister, Shelley.'At the mention of Alex's name, Shelley gives a happy squeal.'Hey, Shelley,' Paco says.Shelley smiles wide.'Shell-bell, I need you to do me a favor.' Shelley bobs her head in response as I whisper, 'I need you to keep Mom occupied while I talk to Paco.'Shelley grins, and I know my sister will come through for me."

"There's always time for arguin' when you're a Fuentes."

"Some things need to be left unsaid."

"I wish I could turn back time, but I can't. I made a stupid decision because I thought I was invincible, and I'll pay for it the rest of my life."

"I thought we were gonna take this relationship slow.''A back rub is harmless.'My eyes roam over her kick-ass bikini-covered bod. 'I'll have you know I've been intimate with girls wearin' a lot more."

"Luis is right there. I point to the corner of the yard, where my little brother is the centre of attention doing imitations of barnyard animals. I have yet to inform him that talent isn't as much of a chick magnet when you get into junior high."

"Carlos, are we in complete understanding with each other?'Yeah, I say. 'As long as it's not in your house and you don't know about it, you're okay with us messin' around.'I know you're joking with me. You are joking with me, aren't you?'Maybe."

"Whoa, who was that?'Madison Stone, Kiara mutters.'Introduce me to her.'Why?Because I know it'll annoy the shit out of you."

"Listen, I don't know what the hell happened between you and Marco. To be honest I don't really want to know, 'cause if I did I'd probably want to kick the shit outta him.'I don't need you to protect me.'What if I want to?"

"This connection we have isn't going away, it's only getting stronger. Because the more I spend time with her, the closer I want to be."

"Ben walks in the room and asks, 'What were you guys doing? Nikki says 'Nothing at the same time I say, 'Your sister and I were just makin' out."