“Love required sacrifice and making hard choices and doing things that were bigger than just you. It wasn't something you asked for, or could control or change. It was something you accepted. Love was a force of nature.” — Kimberly Derting Copy Share Image
“Chelsea was something else. Like an unstoppable force of nature. Similar to a hurricane or a tornado. Or a pit bull. Violet admired that about her. And, in this instance, Chelsea had proven to be nothing less than formidable. So… — Kimberly Derting Copy Share Image
“If it makes you feel any better, he’s been all sad doll lately too.” “What are you talking about, Chels?” Chelsea stopped walking and stared at Violet. “Jay. I’m talking about Jay, Vi. I thought you might want to know that you’re not the only one who’s hurting. He’s been moping around school, making it hard to even look at… — Kimberly Derting Copy Share
“One night, when Violet’s parents had gone out, he teased her about it, whispering against her throat, “I should probably be dating girls my own age now that you’ll be over-the-hill.” Jay was stretched out on Violet’s bed as she curled against him. Violet laughed, rising to the bait. “Fine,” she challenged, pulling away and leaning up on her elbow.… — Kimberly Derting Copy Share
“I just . . . I just wanted to make sure you were . . . okay.” He shoved away from the door as he took a long stride toward her, letting the door slam behind him. “I should be asking you the same thing,” he said, cringing, his voice filled with concern. Violet knew how she looked. The bruise… — Kimberly Derting Copy Share
“What are you doing here?" she asked as she slowed from a jog to a walk and placed her hands on her hips. It would take her a few minutes to get her breathing back to normal. Longer if he kept smiling at her like that. He shrugged. "I couldn't sleep. What about you?" She opted for the obvious and… — Kimberly Derting Copy Share
“Hey, A-D-D,” she called out to Claire, “come over and try these on.” — Kimberly Derting Copy Share Image
“You even used to make up funny stories about those poor little lost creatures of yours. Remember Bob, the squirrel banker who forgot to… — Kimberly Derting Copy Share Image
“In the meantime, she and Jay sat shoulder to shoulder throughout the movie, and the warmth of his pressed up against her made it difficult for Violet to concentrate. She tried to remember when exactly he’d started to smell so good to her, or when his touch had become like a mood-altering narcotic. She glanced sideways to see if she… — Kimberly Derting Copy Share
“She picked up a handheld grenade launcher, cradling it like a baby.” — Kimberly Derting Copy Share Image
“Ewww!" Clair shrieked, shoving Chelsea away. "Get away from me!" "Leave her Alone Chels" Jules interupted, "or you're going to make her start on… — Kimberly Derting Copy Share Image
“I loved voices, I always had. Words held meaning, but voices held emotion.” — Kimberly Derting Copy Share Image
“The sounds she heard bouncing off the walls around her were those of defeat.” — Kimberly Derting Copy Share Image
“Jay’s mom was a lot of great things that Violet admired, technologically savvy was definitely not one of them. She was one of those people who were loath to move into the twenty-first century and embrace all things modern. She was the only adult woman that Violet knew of who didn’t own a cell phone, and she refused to buckle… — Kimberly Derting Copy Share
