Adam” Lori called loudly enough for me to hear her but not so loud that her voice would carry up to my mom in the marina office- or to her dad who might be listening from their screened porch facing the water. “I came over to get some tips from the boys about teaching Tammy and Rachel to board. Of course, I did not come over here to see you. How could you think such a thing That would be disobedient.” I held up the wax. “For my own disobedience I have to buff the boat. Then I’m going for a jog.” She tilted her head. Probably her eyes widened, but I couldn’t see them behind her sunglasses. I hated not being able to see her eyes. She asked “In this heat?” I didn’t mind jogging in the heat. The heat was a big friendly animal that liked to wrestle and only occasionally sat on me until I lost my breath. Anyway she was missing the point. I repeated carefully ”I am GOING for a JOG.” “I HEARD you the FIRST time” she said. “It’s late afternoon in the middle of June. It’s ninety-five degrees out here.” “He means he’s GOING for a JOG” Rachel and Tammy said at the same time. “He’s GOING for a JOG.” Lori still didn’t get it. Normally her blondness was one of the things I loved about her. At the moment not so much. Exasperated Cameron told her “Adam wants you to go for a jog too.” She said “Oh” “If you two airheads have to hook up secretly for very long” Sean said “you’re not going to make it.

— Jennifer Echols

Adam thinks that you two are in an argument." My body zinged into alert mode. My mind didn't know what Mrs. Vader meant, but my body already did. Even Sean glanced over at her with a cautious look." He does?" I asked faintly." A bad one," she confirmed." How could we be in a bad argument without me even knowing about it?

— Jennifer Echols

And you’re beautiful. You’d have to work pretty hard to mess that up.

— Jennifer Echols

A smaller rocket cut across the sky, trailing smoke. It exploded in a red heart." Awwwww!" said the crowd." Upside down," said Sean. The heart was, indeed, upside down. It grew and grew, upside down, until its lights trailed and faded. A bigger rocket exploded in bright golden sparks, and then came another red heart." Upside down," said all the boys. Three explosions layered on top of one another, gold, blue, pink. Then still another red heart exploded, growing and growing before it faded." Upside down," said everyone in the boat but me. My own heart expanded for Adam. I whispered, "I know what he meant.

— Jennifer Echols

Better you than Cameron" McGillicuddy grumbled. "I know where Cameron's been." Sean snorted. Cameron said "I already told you I did NOT come on to Lori.

— Jennifer Echols

Boys don’t gossip.”“Pah! You don’t know us as well as you think.” This was a disturbing prospect.

— Jennifer Echols

But first I had to get through the ironing. It took a lot of patience. I had none. It took forever, and then I had to press the whole shirt again to get out the creases I’d pressed into it.

— Jennifer Echols

Can you put your hands on my crop

— Jennifer Echols

Dad" I pleaded, "this is so [cuss word you never, ever say in front of your mother] ridiculous.

— Jennifer Echols

Deana Carter sings about it. Lady Antebellum sings about it. Eric Church. Gosh, not just country artists. Katy Perry. Everybody has a song about it because everybody's been through it. You find that person at eighteen and you lose yourself. And the tragedy is, it's the person who's completely opposed to everything you've ever wanted. You bond with that person, and that person breaks your heart. I'm that tragedy for you, and you're mine.

— Jennifer Echols