--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bryce,\" she whispers. \"What's wrong.\" I…" description: "\"Bryce,\" she whispers. \"What's wrong.\" I can barely breathe as I ask her, \"Do you like him?\" \"Do I... you mean Jon?\" \"Yes!\" \"Well, sure. He's nice and -..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/wendelin-van-draanen-3327_breathe_bryce-she-whispers-what-s-wrong-i-can-ba_1958881.png" --- # Bryce," she whispers. "What's wrong." I can barely breathe… ![“Bryce," she whispers. "What's wrong." I can barely breathe as I ask her, "Do you like him?" "Do I... you mean Jon?" "Yes!" "Well, sure. He's nice and -" "No, do you like him?" My heart was pounding through my chest as I took her other hand and waited. "Well, no. I mean, not like that…" No! She…” quote by Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/wendelin-van-draanen-3327_breathe_bryce-she-whispers-what-s-wrong-i-can-ba_1958881.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/wendelin-van-draanen-3327_breathe_bryce-she-whispers-what-s-wrong-i-can-ba_1958881.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/wendelin-van-draanen-3327_breathe_bryce-she-whispers-what-s-wrong-i-can-ba_1958881.png) > “Bryce," she whispers. "What's wrong." I can barely breathe as I ask her, "Do you like him?" "Do I... you mean Jon?" "Yes!" "Well, sure. He's nice and -" "No, do you like him?" My heart was pounding through my chest as I took her other hand and waited. "Well, no. I mean, not like that…" No! She said no! I didn't care where I was, I didn't care who saw. I wanted, just had to kiss her. I leaned in, closed my eyes, and then...” [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tense moment of confession and rejection reveals vulnerability and the pain of unreciprocated affection. **In simple terms:** A confession leads to rejection, causing emotional turmoil. Key Takeaway Accept feelings, respect boundaries. Themes love rejection vulnerability communication Mood anxious hopeful melancholic Type narrative emotional romantic When to use this quote - dating - confession - friendship - self‑esteem - emotional growth Key Concepts psychology relationships emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - What can you learn about consent and communication? - How do you handle emotional disappointment? A Different Perspective Rejection can damage confidence; timing matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barely Breathe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barely-breathe-1347024/) [Breathe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathe/) [Bryce Whispers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bryce-whispers-3222540/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart pounding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-pounding/) [Kissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissing/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [My heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-heart/) [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Pounding Chest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pounding-chest-1292405/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Saws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saws/) [Waited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waited/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [“Call the fire department," I said, trying hard to stay calm. 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Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-banks/) > [You ever love somebody so much You can barely breathe When you’re with them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/you-ever-love-somebody-so-much-you-can-barely-breathe-when-you-re/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [“He shackled her with his hands, the press of his mouth ceaseless in its demands. She couldn't move, couldn't see, could barely breathe. Giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamara-morgan/he-shackled-her-with-his-hands-the-press-of-his-mouth-ceaseless-in/) [Tamara Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamara-morgan/) > [“Just don’t give up on us. Please, don’t give up. I’m a shell without you, Alayna. I can barely breathe when you aren’t near…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurelin-paige/just-don-t-give-up-on-us-please-don-t-give-up-i-m-a-shell-without-you/) [Laurelin Paige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurelin-paige/) > [“you ever loved somebody so much you can barely breathe when your with em”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mathers/you-ever-loved-somebody-so-much-you-can-barely-breathe-when-your-with/) [Marshall Mathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mathers/) > [“Lie back and enjoy it, because I plan on making you come so hard you can barely breathe, and only then am I going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-bell/lie-back-and-enjoy-it-because-i-plan-on-making-you-come-so-hard-you/) [K.J. Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-j-bell/) > [“I can't believe I agreed to this shit. One minute I feel like some lovesick fool; then I remember that kiss, the way you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-w-hill/i-can-t-believe-i-agreed-to-this-shit-one-minute-i-feel-like-some/) [Joey W. Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-w-hill/) ## More by Wendelin Van Draanen > [“Maybe it came from whacking at two-by-fours and dreaming about perpetual motion. I don't know. All I know is that compared to her, Shelly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/maybe-it-came-from-whacking-at-two-by-fours-and-dreaming-about/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [I’ve flown kites before and I know – sometimes they’re gone forever, and sometimes they’re just waiting in the middle of the road for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/i-ve-flown-kites-before-and-i-know-sometimes-they-re-gone-forever-and/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [“Every once in a while you find someone who is iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/every-once-in-a-while-you-find-someone-who-is-iridescent-and-when-you/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [“I also finally see that a crimson kiss isn't something you can chase, because it's more than just the passionate meeting of mouths. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/i-also-finally-see-that-a-crimson-kiss-isn-t-something-you-can-chase/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [I'll ride my bike all the stinkin' way to school for the rest of eternity if it means being with her. -Bryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/i-ll-ride-my-bike-all-the-stinkin-way-to-school-for-the-rest-of/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [It’s funny to hear priests and nuns argue with each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/it-s-funny-to-hear-priests-and-nuns-argue-with-each-other/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [I had Flipped. -Bryce Loski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/i-had-flipped-bryce-loski/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [“And then she started climbing/ The girl is in the seventh grade, and she's climbing a tree--way, way up in the tree. And why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/and-then-she-started-climbing-the-girl-is-in-the-seventh-grade-and/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [“At first we tried to keep up, but soon we were tired of boiling and pickling and deviling, and my mother started complaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/at-first-we-tried-to-keep-up-but-soon-we-were-tired-of-boiling-and/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [I operate under the assumption that people don't notice the good in me. That's just how things always seem to play out. I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/i-operate-under-the-assumption-that-people-don-t-notice-the-good-in/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [A million dollars sounds like a lot, I know. Especially when youre young. But you cant let money erode your principles or youll wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/a-million-dollars-sounds-like-a-lot-i-know-especially-when-youre/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [“Anger is a fuel that can only carry you so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/anger-is-a-fuel-that-can-only-carry-you-so-far/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [“Somehow the silence seemed to connect us in a way like words never could.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/somehow-the-silence-seemed-to-connect-us-in-a-way-like-words-never/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [Part of my motivation for writing mysteries for young people is that I loved mysteries when I was growing up, and now that I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/part-of-my-motivation-for-writing-mysteries-for-young-people-is-that/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [I believe in the paramount importance of entertainment, but I have something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/i-believe-in-the-paramount-importance-of-entertainment-but-i-have/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) [Explore all 131 Wendelin Van Draanen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) ## More Breathe quotes > [“Well come and stand a little bit closer, breathe in and get a bit higher. You'll ever know what hit you when I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savage-garden/well-come-and-stand-a-little-bit-closer-breathe-in-and-get-a-bit/) [Savage Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/savage-garden/) > [I like fantasy, but I don't live and breathe fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/i-like-fantasy-but-i-don-t-live-and-breathe-fantasy/) [Lauren Schmidt Hissrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/) > [“Live your dreams. Breathe your dreams. Never give up on your dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/live-your-dreams-breathe-your-dreams-never-give-up-on-your-dreams/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/) [Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. 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It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-people-asking-can-women-be-funny-people-still-ask-that-it/) [Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/) > [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. It's in the food we eat. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/we-need-to-be-more-conversant-with-it-because-science-is-in-our-lives/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“Before we can make seismic professional, economic, and sociological changes, we have to squeeze out of our Spanx and remember how it feels to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hays-coomer/before-we-can-make-seismic-professional-economic-and-sociological/) [Sarah Hays Coomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hays-coomer/) > [Manchester United breathe football. When I have to make hard decisions, I always listen to little boy inside me and what he wants. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-van-persie/manchester-united-breathe-football-when-i-have-to-make-hard-decisions/) [Robin van Persie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-van-persie/) > [I drink to feel / I smoke to breathe / Just look what love / Has done to me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/i-drink-to-feel-i-smoke-to-breathe-just-look-what-love-has-done-to-me/) [Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/) > [Wherever you are is the perfect place to awaken. This moment is the exact place to practice compassion and loving awareness. You have all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/wherever-you-are-is-the-perfect-place-to-awaken-this-moment-is-the/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [If I had lost a leg, I would tell them, instead of a boy, no one would ever ask me if I was 'over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/if-i-had-lost-a-leg-i-would-tell-them-instead-of-a-boy-no-one-would/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [In some ways, what I learned is that you can take a character and breathe with them, and its up to the audience to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aden-young/in-some-ways-what-i-learned-is-that-you-can-take-a-character-and/) [Aden Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aden-young/) [Browse all 2,793 Breathe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bryce,\" she whispers. \"What's wrong.\" I can barely breathe as I ask her, \"Do you like him?\" \"Do I... you mean Jon?\" \"Yes!\" \"Well, sure. He's nice and -\" \"No, do you like him?\" My heart was pounding through my chest as I took her other hand and waited. \"Well, no. I mean, not like that…\" No! She said no! I didn't care where I was, I didn't care who saw. I wanted, just had to kiss her. 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