They Just Kept Grinning At Me From Over The Stupid Sign, Dopey Because He's Too Dumb To Know Any Better, Doc Because – Well, I Guess Because He Might Have Been Glad To See Me. Doc's Weird That Way. Sleepy, The Oldest, Just Stood There, Looking … Well, Sleepy.

-Meg Cabot

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They Just Kept Grinning

Meg Cabot

Topic

Stupid

Dumb

Might

More From Meg Cabot

When You Feel Like An Outsider - For Whatever Reason - You Spend A Lot Of Time Alone.

Outsiders

Reason

Alone Time

She'd Realize Steve Was Her Soul Mate And That She Would Never Love Anyone As Much As She Loved Him.

Soul

Soul Mate

Realizing

Michael Has Never Cried During A Broadway Show. Except In That Scene Where Tarzan's Ape Father Is Brutally Murdered. And That Was Only Because He Was Laughing So Hard.

Father

Laughing So Hard

Broadway

Why Had I Taken All Those Useless Classes Like Bio And German When I Should Have Been Taking Lipreading?

Taken

Should Have

Class

Great. Now I Was Starting To Get Jealous Of Myself.

Jealous

Starting

Get Jealous

I Snatched The Paper Away From Dopey. "hey," He Yelled. "i Was Reading That!" "let Somebody Who Can Pronounce All The Big Words Have A Try," I Said.

Reading

Trying

Hey

But I Let It Slide, Because, Hello, Hot Guy.

Guy

Slides

Hot

And Generally, When People Say Good Night, They Keep Their Tongues To Themselves.

Good Night

Night

People

My Family, Theyre Story Tellers. My Mom Is Irish, And My Dad Is Italian. In My Family, We Werent Allowed To Watch Tv While We Ate - We Had To Sit Around The Table And Tell Stories About Our Day.

Mom

Dad

Italian

If It Turned Out Brandon Stark Also Likes To Dress Up As Strwberry Shortcake While Playing Croquet With His Miniture Pony Collection, I Totally Wouldn't Be Surprised Anymore.

Dresses

Ponies

Likes

Even If Vampires Were Stupid. Especially American Vampires. They Hung Out In Places Alaric Himself Would Never Have Gone, Especially If He Were Immortal. Such As High Schools. And Walmart.

Stupid

School

Vampire

I Loved You Way Before You Ever Had A Chance To Put A Spell On Me. I Loved You At 'i've Never Been To Long Island,'" Zach Said. I Couldn't Keep A Big Goofy Grin From My Face. I Loved You At 'i Like Seals,'" I Admitted. He Grinned Back.

Islands

Long

Way

A Wrinkle In Time Is One Of My Favorite Books Of All Time. I've Read It So Often, I Know It By Heart. Meg Murry Was My Hero Growing Up. I Wanted Glasses And Braces And My Parents To Stick Me In An Attic Bedroom. And I So Wanted To Save Charles Wallace From It.

Growing Up

Book

Hero

Home. Wow. I’m Already Calling It Home. Well, Isn’t That What Any Place Is? Any Place That You Share With Someone You Love, I Mean?

Home

Mean

Calling

It's Simple, Really," Alaric Wulf Said. " Lucien Antonescu Is The Prince Of Darkness." Jon Nodded. "yeah," He Said. "we Know. He's Got A Castle And Stuff.

Simple

Darkness

Castles

One Of The Biggest Motivations For Me With Writing My Books Is To Offer Girls Some Escapism, Especially Girls Who Really Need It, Like I Did.

Girl

Motivation

Book

Sometimes What You Want Is Right In Front Of You. All You Have To Do Is Open Your Eyes And See It.

Eye

Want

Sometimes

Mr. Greer Timed All Our Speeches With An Oven Timer. Things Were Nothing At Tribeca Alternative, Considered One Of Manhattan's Finest Prep Schools, If Not High Tech.

School

Alternatives

Manhattan

And Try To Remember What We Discussed, Susannah. A Mediator Is Someone Who Helps Others Resolve Conflicts. Not Someone Who, Er, Kicks Them In The Face.

Helping Others

Trying

Faces

Jesse, Who Had Not Stirred The Whole Time From The Spot He'd Been Standing, Confident I Could Handle Cheryl Myself, Was Grinning. "it's Every Girl's Dream To Guy To Go To Prom With The Guy She Loves?" He Echoed, Not Just One, But Both Inky Black Eyebrows Raised. "don't Start With Me," I Said. I Tried To Hide My Suddenly Flaming Cheeks By Scraping Away What Was Left Of The Cannolis, And Replacing Them With The Contents Of An Upended Bag Of Chocolate Chip Cookies. "i Have Things To Do.

Girl

Dream

Eyebrows

It’s My Own Fault, Really. For Believing In Fairy Tales. Not That I Ever Mistook Them For Actual Historical Fact, Or Anything. But I Did Grow Up Believing That For Every Girl, There’s A Prince Out There Somewhere. All She Has To Do Is Find Him. Then It’s On With The Happily Ever After. So You Can Only Imagine What Happened When I Found Out. That My Prince Really Is One. A Prince. No, I Really Mean It. He’s An Actual Prince.

Girl

Growing Up

Believe

Sometimes I Just Want To Write A Really Intense Love Scene. But I Can't Do That In My Books For Teens, Or Parents Will Complain - Believe Me, I've Tried.

Believe

Book

Writing

How Is It That I'd Nearly Been Smothered To Death, And Yet I Could Sit There And Notice Things Like My Stepbrother's Abdominal Muscles A Few Minutes Later?

Abdominals

Minutes

Muscles

You’re Not A One Hundred Dollar Bill, Not Everyone Is Going To Like You.

Dollar Bills

Dollars

Like You

My Favorite Book Of All Time Is Cold Comfort Farm, By Stella Gibbons.

Book

Agriculture

Comfort

In A Way, I Was Incredibly Proud Of Her (not That I Had Any Intention Of Letting It Show While I Was Beating The Crap Out Of Her).

Pride

Proud

Way

I'm Sorry, Heather, But Everything Was Not Just Fine Before I Got Here. You Know How I Know That? Because You're Dead. Okay? You Are Dead. Dead People Don't Have Lockers, Or Best Friends, Or Boyfriends. You Know Why? Because They're Dead.-suze Simon

Sorry

People

Heathers

Honey, Some Boys Stopped By To See You. They Had Wood.

Boys

Honey

Woods

This Was Very Exciting. I'd Never Had Two Boys Get Into A Fight Over Me Before. The Fact That One Of The Boys Was My Stepbrother, However, And Held About As Much Romantic Appeal For Me As Max, The Family Dog, Somewhat Dampened My Enthusiasm. And Michael Wasn't Much Of A Catch, Either, When You Actually Thought About It, Being A Potential Murderer And All. Oh, Why Did I Have To Have Such A Couple Of Losers Fighting Over Me? Why Couldn't Matt Damon And Ben Affleck Fight Over Me? Now That Would Be Truly Excellent.

Dog

Couple

Fighting

Do Not Chase Boys. Chasing Boys Is Bad. Chasing Boys Can Lead To Horrible Things Like Mansions Going Up Into Flames, Hand Amputations, And Blindness. So Have Some Self Respect And Don't Let Things Get Too Far Before The Wedding Day.

Boys

Self

Flames

High School Sucks. People Who Say Those Were The Best Years Of Your Life - Those People Are Liars... Who Wants The Best Years Of Their Life To Be In *high School*? High School Is Something *everybody* Should Be Ready To Lose.

Liars

School

Best Years Of Your Life

If All People Became Ghosts My Social Life Would Be So Over" - Suze Simon In The Mediator

People

Would Be

Ghost

All I Did Was Die,' I Said. 'and Then, When Presented With An Opportunity Not To Be Dead Any More, I Took It. Anyone Else Would Have Done The Same Thing.

Opportunity

Done

Said

And That Whole Do-able/undo-able Thing? Yeah. Need I Point Out That Neither Ruth Nor I Have Ever "done" Anybody In Our Lives?

Needs

Done

Ruth

Well, Hi, Ceecee," I Said. "hi, Adam. Nice Of You Two To Drop By. Ever Heard Of Knocking?" "oh, Please," Ceecee Said. "why? Because We Might Interrupt You And Your Precious Jesse?" Jesse, Upon Hearing This, Raised His Eyebrows. Way Up.

Nice

Eyebrows

Two

I Didn’t Know What I Was Supposed To Say About That, So I Just Said, "wow

Wow

Said

Knows

We Kissed All The Way Through The Fireworks Display. We Didn’t Even Notice That There Was A Fireworks Display… …i Guess Because We’d Been Making Fireworks Of Our Own.

Way

Fireworks

Display

I Was The Kind Of Kid Who Couldn't Really Stop Making Up Stories During Class. I Didn't Do Very Well Academically Because I Was Always Drawing These Little Doodles In The Margins Of My Notebooks And I Wasn't Bringing Home The Best Grades.

Notebook

Home

Kids

It’s Seemed More Like A Punishment Than A Reward Most Days…” He Said, His Tone One Of Bitter Resignation. Then His Gaze Lifted To Meet Mine, And His Voice Changed. “…at Least Until I Found You.

Punishment

Voice

Found You

I Realized Michael Was Right. I Mean, I Am Always Writing In This Journal. And I Do Compose A Lot Of Poetry, And Write A Lot Of Notes And Emails And Stuff. I Mean, I Feel Like I Am Always Writing. I Do It So Much, I Never Even Thought About It As A Talent. It's Just Something I Do All The Time, Like Breathing.

Writing

Mean

Breathing

Sometimes Between Lunch And Dinner, When There's A Lull, Jill And Shaniqua And I Will Sit Around And Fantasize About What We'd Do If A Real Celebrity Walked Into The Place, Like Chad Michael Murray (although We've Gone Off Him A Bit Since His Divorce) Or Jared Padalecki, Or Even Prince William (you Never Know. He Could Have Gotten His Yacht Lost, Or Whatever.)

Real

Divorce

Lunch

She Hadn't Slain The Dragon. Not At All. She Hoped No One Ever Would.

Dragons

If You Have To Say “no Offense” To Someone, You Have Already Offended Them.

Offense

Ifs

Offended

And I'm Sure Than In Poland, Or Somewhere, It Is Considered Cool To Drive A Porsche And Wear Necklaces And Black Silk, But At Least Back In Brooklyn If You Did Those Things You Were Either A Drug Dealer Or From New Jersey.

Drug

Black

Brooklyn

Tell Me What Game Steph Landry And I Used To Play In The Big Dirt Pile They Made While They Were Digging My Family’s Pool, Back When We Were Both Seven, Or I’ll Know You’re An Alien Replacement And You’ve Got The Real Steph Up In Your Mother Ship!” I Glared At Him. “g.i. Joe Meets Spelunker Barbie,” I Said. “and Stop Being So Ridiculous. We Have To Go. We’re Going To End Up At A Bad Table For Lunch.

Mother

Real

Games

You Know. Life's Short. If You Don't Try New Things, You'll Never Know What You're Best At. And You Can Only Make Time For New Things By Quitting The Things You Know Don't Work For You.

Trying

Quitting

Making Time

Sometimes In Life, You Fall Down Holes You Can't Climb Out Of By Yourself. That's What Friends And Family Are For-to Help. They Can't Help, However, Unless You Let Them Know You're Down There.

Fall

Family And Friends

Helping

Pretty Isn't The Only Thing That Matters - Being Smart And Kind Matters More, Of Course - But All Daughters Should Hear From Their Moms That They Look Pretty Once In A While.

Mom

Daughter

Mother

...men Aren't In Touch With Their Emotions, And Don't Share Enough [?]

Men

Emotion

Enough

Smiles Like That Should Be Against The Law. Considering What They Do To A Girl.

Girl

Law

Should

Always Be True To Your Friends, Just As You Are To Yourself.

Being True

Anything Can Happen In The Blink Of An Eye. Anything At All. One. Two. Three. Blink.

Eye

Two

Three

No Offense, But If You Want To Be With My Niece, You Should Think About Getting A Haircut. My Mother Is Very Conservative.” “no Offense Taken,” John Said Mildly.

Mother

Niece

Taken

Sleepy Pulled The Car To A Stop In Front Of This Paved Entranceway, Which Was Flanked On Either Side By These Enormous Palm Trees, Kind Of Like The Polynesian Resort At Disney World. In Fact, The Whole Place Had Kind Of A Disney Feel To It. You Know, Really Big, And Kind Of Modern And Fake.

Car

Fake

Tree

Whatever. Boris, Must You Constantly Breathe On Me?

Breathe

It Wasn't Until Hope Fluttered Over And Landed At Alex's Feet, Peering Questioningly Up At Him, That He Finally Tore His Hands Away From His Eyes.oh, My God, He Said, Sounding Disgusted. Why Is There A Bird Looking At Me?that's Miss Oliviera's Bird, Henry Volunteered Cheerfully. The Captain Gave It To Her As A Present.kayla Punched Me In The Arm. John's Got His Captain's License? She Whispered. You Are So Lucky. Frank Says He Just Loads Cargo.i Glanced At Frank. I Wondered If Kayla Would Like Him As Much If She Knew The Cargo He Loaded Was Human Souls.

Eye

Feet

Hands

You'll Blow Up A Helicopter, But You Won't Go Out With Me? What Is Wrong With You?

Relationship

Blow

Helicopters

Your Assignment,' He Bellowed At Kelly, 'was To Make A Persuasive Argument. Demanding To Know Whether Detractors Of Your Position Are On Crack Is Not Arguing Persuasively.

Cracks

Arguing

Argument

Sometimes We Need To Take Big Risks If We Want To Find Out Who We Are, And What We Were Put On This Planet For.

Risk

Needs

Want

If You Give A Man A Fish He'll Eat For A Day, If You Teach A Man To Fish He'll Eat All The Fish You May Have Caught For Yourself

Men

Teach A Man To Fish

Giving

You Just Said You Were Sorry." ... "i Was Only Apologizing," He Said Stiffly, "for Startling You. The Applause Was To Compliment You On The Improvement In Your Life-saving Techniques Since The Last Time You-

Sorry

Compliments You

Lasts

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself.

Safety

Wrecks

Due Date

„everyone Wants To Believe That There’s Something Else – Something Great – Waiting For Them On The Other Side. Paradise. Valhalla. Heaven. Their Next – Hopefully Less Horrible – Life.

Believe

Waiting

Heaven

Why Should Women Have To Fit Into Child Sizes In Order To Be Considered Desirable? That Is Both Sick And Depressing.

Depressing

Children

Order

You;re Colling Me, So I Fugure You Must Not Hate Me Anymore. Does This Mean You Wanna Go Out? Ii'm Free Tonight. I Mean , I Have Plans, But I Can Break Them. For You. Brandon, You Kidnapped Me. And Then You Made The Only Person I'll Ever Love In My Life Hate Me. I Completely Despise You. So..., I Take That As A No, You Do Not Want To Go Out With Me Tonight.

Hate

Mean

Doe

I Stood On Susan Boone's Front Porch, Feeling Lame. But Then, Since I've Pretty Much Felt Lame My Entire Life, This Was No Big Surprise. On The Other Hand, Usually I Felt Lame For No Particular Reason. This Time I Really Had A Reason To Feel Lame.

Hands

Feelings

Lame

But. . . You Said We Were Going To Play Parcheezi. . .

Play

Said

Growing Up, I Mostly Read Comic Books And Sci-fi. Then I Discovered The Book 'jane Eyre' By Jane Austen. It Introduced Me To The World Of Romance, Which I Have Since Never Left. Also, The World Of The First-person Narrative.

Growing Up

Book

Romance

For Each Book, I Do End Up Making A Kind Of Playlist To Fit The Characters.

Book

Character

Kind

Faint Heart Never Won Fair Lady

Heart

Cowardice

Faint Of Heart

And Standing Before Me A Bloodied Bottle Of Absolut In Her Hand, Is Mrs. Allington, Her Pink Jogging Suit Drenched, Her Chest Heaving, Her Eyes Filled With Contempt As She Stared Down At Rachel's Prone Body. Mrs. Allington Shakes Her Head. "i'm A Size Twelve," She Says.

Eye

Hands

Twelve

I Look Around For A Conveniently Loaded Pistol.sadly, There Doesn't Seem To Be One Available, So I Have No Choice But To Answer The Question. - Queen Of Babble Gets Hitched

Queens

Choices

Looks

Don't Cry." "how Can I Not?" I Asked Him. "you Just Said You Loved Me." "well, Why Else Did You Think All Of This Was Happening?" He Set The Book Aside To Wrap His Arms Around Me. "the Furies Wouldn't Be Trying To Kill You If I Didn't Love You." "i Didn't Know," I Said. Tears Were Trickling Down My Cheeks, But I Did Nothing To Try To Stop Them. His Shirt Was Absorving Most Of Them. "you Never Said Anything About It. Every Time I Saw You, You Just Acted So... Wild." "how Was I Supposed To Act?" He Asked. "you Kept Doing Things Like Throwing Tea In My Face.

Book

Love You

Thinking

Lilly Says I Have An Overactive Imagination And A Pathological Need To Invent Drama In My Life.

Drama

Imagination

Needs

I May Have Been Dead For The Past Hundred And Fifty Years, Susannah,...but That Doesn't Mean I Don't Know How People Say Good Night. And Generally, When People Say Good Night, They Keep Their Tongues To Themselves.

Good Night

Mean

Past

We Need To Talk.” “i’m Just – Look,” I Said, As He Took A Step Toward Me. “i’m Just Going To Give Cee Cee A Call And Maybe We’ll Go To The Beach Or Something, Because I Really … I Just Need A Day Off.”another Step Toward Me. Now He Was Right In Front Of Me. “especially,” I Said Significantly, Looking Up At Him, “from Talking. That’s What I Especially Need A Day Off From. Talking.” “fine,” He Said. He Reached Up And Cupped My Face In Both His Hands. “we Don’t Have To Talk.”and That’s When He Kissed Me. On The Lips.

Beach

Hands

Talking

The Brave May Not Live Forever, But The Cautious Do Not Live At All.

Stay Strong

Courage

Business

Life's Not Easy For Unicorns, You Know. We're A Dying Breed.

Dying

Unicorn

Easy

Emerson:bite Me Whitne:you Wish

Wish

Bite Me

Bites

It's Only In Fairy Tales That Princesses Can Afford To Wait For The Handsome Prince To Save Them. In Real Life, They Have To Bust Out Of Their Own Coffins And Do The Saving Themselves.

Real

Princess

Waiting

It Just Goes To Show That What One Person Considers A "bad Attitude" Might Actually Just Be Total Frustration Over Being Pushed Beyond The Brink Of One's Mental And Physical Endurance.

Attitude

Frustration

Endurance

I Stare At Her, As Dumbstruck As If She'd Just Admitted She's A Scientologist With An Invitation To Join Tom And Katie On The Spaceship When It Shows Up.

Spaceships

Staring

Shows

I Don't Have Kids, But In Many Ways I Feel I've Had Them Already. I Don't Want To Say I Raised My Brothers - That Sounds Too Strong - But Actually I Do Feel Like That A Bit.

Brother

Strong

Kids

Not Like This Vision Before Us, Who Was Shaking Water Out Of His Slightly Overlong Reddish-brown Hair As He Leaned Over To Lay Down His Board (revealing, As He Did So, The Fact That Beneath His Baggy Swim Trunks—so Weighted Down With Water That They Had Sunk Somewhat Dangerously Low On His Hips—lurked What Appeared To Be An Exceptionally Well-formed Gluteus Maximus)

Hair

Water

Swim

One Of The Reasons That I Think I Do Love To Write Is Because I Did Have A Difficult Childhood And Not So Great Teenage Years. It Always Helped Me Escape From My Problems.

Teenage

Writing

Thinking

Who Knew An Elf Queen Could Be So Vicious!

Queens

Vicious

No. The Answer Was No, I Was Not All Right. I Nearly Got Knocked Out. Knocked Out By Desire! Desire For Forbidden Dissimilar Molecules

Desire

Molecules

Answers

Zach Had Rushed Down To Rescue Me Without Remembering To Put A Shirt On...maybe I Had Died And Gone To Heaven.

Heaven

Gone

Remember

Every Seven Miles, In America, There Is At Least One Mcdonald's. Not A Hospital, Mind You, Or A Police Station, But A Mcdonald's, Every Seven Miles. I Mean, That's Sort Of Scary, If You Think About It.

Mean

Thinking

Mcdonalds

I Lay There In My Black Slip Dress And Wondered If I Ought To Have Worn Pants. I Mean, Who Knew What I Was Going To Find Up There? What If I Had To Do Some Climbing? People Might See My Underwear.

Mean

Climbing

People

It's What's Known As An Origin Myth. What Happened To Me? That's No Myth.

Myth

Happened

Known

Inside The Envelope With The Letter Was A Little Princess Leia Action Figure Usb Flash Drive. For Me To Store My Novel On, Since He Was Right - I Never Back Up My Computer's Hard Drive. The Sight Of It - It's Princess Leia In Her Hoth Outfit, My Favorite Of Her Costumes (how Had He Remembered?) Brought Tears To My Eyes.

Princess

Eye

Sight

I Can't Kill Someone!" "you Hit Your Brother In The Head With A Fire Extinguisher." "but That Was Family! And I Didn't Kill Him.

Brother

Fire

I Can

I Needed Another Soda. I’d Only Had Six Since Breakfast.

Breakfast

Soda

Six

Meg Cabot Is The Best Author Ever

Meg

There's Nothing Secret About It. Everyone Knows That I Am Waiting For My Real Parents, The King And Queen, To Come Restore Me To My Rightful Throne.

Kings

Queens

Real

Didn't Your Mother Ever Tell You," Rob Asked, "that You're Supposed To Play Hard To Get?" I Looked At His Lips. I Probably Don't Need To Tell You That They're Really Nice Lips, Kind Of Full And Strong-looking. "what," I Wanted To Know, "is That Going To Get Me?

Mother

Strong

Nice

Strong Female Characters - Even If They Don't Necessarily Make The Same Decisions That We Might - Make Such Great Narrative Material, Especially When There's An Equally Strong Male Character In The Mix.

Strong

Character

Decision

Me: “ngh” Cal: “well Put.” ...... Every Boy's Got One

Boys

Wells

Every Moment Away From You Feels Like Time Spent In A Sort Of Cell. I Can Think Of Nothing, Dream Of Nothing, But You. Unfortunately, I Will Have To Remain In My Self-inflicted Prison A Bit Longer, Since Work Will Keep Me From Meeting You Tonight. I Can't Seem To Find A Way To Avoid This... However, I Hope This Gift Will Make Up For My Unforgivable Behavior. I Saw This And Though Of You, And St. George. You Have Slain The Dragon. Until We Meet Again, I Am Your Lucien.

Dream

Thinking

Dragons

What's A Mediator You Ask? Oh, A Person Who Acts As A Liason Between The Living And The Dead. Hey, Wait A Minute...what're You Doing With That Strait Jacket?-suze Simon's Imagination

Imagination

Waiting

Hey

Susannah." My Dance Partner's Breath Was Soft Against My Cheek. "susannah...." Yeah. In My Dreams. In Real Life, The Voice Calling My Name Wasn't A Bit Masculine. That's Because It Belonged To A Twelve-year-old Boy.

Dream

Real

Boys

I Was In Love With Scott Bennett. That I Had Been In Love With Him My Whole Life, Practically.

Whole Life

Been In Love

Whole

Sorry, Bex," Jason Said "you Don't Have The Recognizable Facial Characteristics - Such As A Huge Chin, Or A Large Amount Of Real Estate Between The Eyes - That Would Merit The Bestowing Of A Criminal Mastermind Nickname Such As Lockjaw Or Walleye. Whereas Crazytop Here...well, Just Look At Her." "atleast I Can Blow-dry My Hair Straight," I Pointed Out. "which Is More Than What I Can Say For Your Nose, Hawkface.

Sorry

Real

Eye

But Who Wants To Hang Aroundfrat Guys ? I Want To Be With Guys Who Have More On Their Minds Than Where The Next Keg Party Is. I Want To Be With Guys Who Care About Making This World A Better Place-the Way Andrew Does. I Want To Be With Guys Who Know That What's Important Isn't The Size Of A Girl's Waistband But The Size Of Her Heart-like Andrew. I Want To Be With Guys Who Are Able To See Past A Girl's Outward Appearance, And Into Her Soul-like Andrew.

Girl

Party

Heart

That's Enough Of That," Jesse Said. Next Thing I Knew, He'd Scooped Me Up. Only Instead Of Carrying Me To My Bed And Setting Me Down On It All Romantically, You Know, Like Guys Do To Girls In The Movies, He Just Dumped Me Onto It, So I Bounced Around And Would Have Fallen Off If I Hadn't Grabbed The Edge Of The Mattress. "thanks," I Said, Not Quite Able To Keep All Of The Sarcasm Out Of My Voice.

Girl

Sarcasm

Voice

Summer Is My Favorite Time To Read Mysteries.

Summer

Mystery

My Favorite

I Won’t Tell You How I Managed To Break In, Since I Don’t Want The Authorities Figuring Out, But Let’s Just Say That If You’re Going To Make A Gate, Make Sure It Reaches All The Way To The Ground.

Want

Way

Break

When Something Horrible Happens, It's Human Nature To Want To Blame It On Someone. We Want Someone To Be Held Accountable, Even Though Sometimes Things Just Happen.

Want

Blame

Sometimes

Hey," Dopey Said When I Was Finished Reading. "how Come They Never Mentioned Me? I'm The One Who Found The Skeleton." "oh, Yeah," Sleepy Said In Disgust. "your Role Was Really Crucial. After All, If It Wasn't For You, The Guy's Skull Might Still Have Been Intact.

Reading

Skeletons

Skulls

And The Truth Is, I’d Felt Kind Of A Thrill About Wearing Jason’s Big Boy Pants. I Was A Sick Kid, Even Way Back Then.

Kids

Boys

Sick

This Is Exactly Why Patrick And I Chose Not To Have Children." He Muttered. "so We Would Never Have To Have Conversations Like This. Andy Yet...here I Am?""if You Could Answer The Question," I Said As Politely As I Could, "that Would Be Great. I Really Don't Want To Have A Freaky Demon Baby, And I Can't Imagine John Wants One, Either

Baby

Children

Here I Am

So Take My Advice: Whatever You Do? Don’t Blink

Advice

Blink

Jesse, This Is Craig. Craig, Jesse. You Two Should Get Along. Jesse's Dead, Too.

Two

Should

Suze Simon

Because My Heat Was Too Full Of Appreciation For What My Friends-- My Real Friends-- Had Done For Me.

Appreciation

Real

Done

In High School, I Wanted To Be An Actress. Until I Got To College And Took Some Creative Writing Courses. Then I Decided I Wanted To Become A Novelist.

Writing

School

College

Wait. Why Am I Thinking About Krispy Kremes? We’re Supposed To Be Exercising.

Food

Exercise

Thinking

How To Be The Best That You Can Be

Being Yourself

Hoosiers

Just Be Yourself

My Heart Is Broken. It Really Is. All The Signs Are There. I Can't Sleep- Not Even Burgers. Every Time The Phone Rings, My Pulse Leaps... But It's Never For Me, It's Never Him.

Heart

Sleep

Phones

But Once I'd Come Up With It, I Realized It Really Was The Perfect Plan. Instead Of Waiting For Maria To Come To Me, I Was Simply Going To Go To Her And, Well... Send Her Back To Where She Came. Or Reduce Her To A Mound Of Quivering Gelatinous Goo. Whichever Came First.

Perfect

Waiting

Firsts

It Was Only When They'd Rounded The Corner Toward The Penguin That We Finally Sat Up, Laughing Semi-hysterically. "oh My God, Did You See Her Face?" Becca Asked Between Guffaws. "'there's Something In My Hair!'" "that Was Fantastic, Crazytop," Jason Said, Wiping Tears Of Laughter From His Eyes. "best Master Plan Yet.

Laughter

Eye

Hair

It Was Considerably Larger Than A Knife Hilt.

Knives

There’s No Accountability Anymore, Pierce, No One Holds Anyone Accountable For What They Do. It’s Always Someone Else’s Fault. Usually People Just Blame The Victim.

People

Accountability

Faults

Writing Is A Workout, Just Like Going For A Run!

Running

Workout

Writing

One Of The Many Advantages Of Having A Boyfriend Who Is Half French Is That His Culinary Repertoire Extends Beyond Mac And Cheese. Plus, There’s The Kissing.

Kissing

Half

Cheese

Was It Frisson When You Saw A Guy Smile And It Made Your Heart Act All Weird?

Heart

Guy

Saws

They Say It’s Always Darkest Until Right Before The Dawn. I’ve Worked On Enough Projects To Know How True This Saying Really Is.

Dawn

Enough

Projects

You Want A Happy Romantic Relationship? Don’t Ruin It By Getting Married.

Want

Ruins

Married

Though I Imagine In Your Case, Trying Not To Fall Just Made You Fall Harder.

Fall

Trying

Imagine

When He Smiled, Something Strange Happened To My Insides. It Was Like They Turned To Liquid.

Liquid

Strange

Happened

Okay, Yeah, He Staggered Back And Fell Into The Condiments. Big Deal. There Wasn't Any Blood. I Didn't Even Get Him In The Face. He Saw My Fist Coming, And At The Last Minute He Ducked, So Instead Of Punching Him In The Nose, Like I Intended, I Ended Up Punching Him In The Neck. I Highly Doubt It Even Left A Bruise.

Blood

Doubt

Bruises

I’ve Never Enjoyed Myself More Than I Have The Past Forty-eight Hours, During Which I’ve Been Trapped In A Car With One Of The Worst Drivers I’ve Ever Seen, Run Up The Spanish Steps And Then Down Again So I Could Be On Time To Wait In Line To Perjuer Myself At The American Consulate. And I’d Like To Continue Doing Those Sorts Of Thing With You On A Regular Basis For The Foreseeable Future.

Running

Past

Eight

When People Look You In The Eye And Call You Stupid, Dont Look Away, But Tell Them That Half Of The World Is Stupid And They Are One Of Them Because They Are Dening Their Own Stupidity.

Stupid

Eye

People

I Felt As If The Milky Way, Hovering Above Our Heads Like A Celestial Pitcher, Had Suddenly Overturned, Pouring Suns And Planets Down My Throat. Stars Seemed To Be Shooting Out Of My Finger And Toes, The Ends Of My Hair.

Stars

Hair

Pouring

What Did That Mean? Where Could It Go? He Was A Death Diety. I Was A High School Senior.

Senior

School

Mean

I've Come To The Conclusion That, Aside From Nazis, The Taliban, And Possibly The Honey Badger, There Is No One On The Planet More Merciless Than A Teenage Girl Once She's Decided She Dislikes You.

Girl

Teenage

Honey

But I Had Loved Him. A Part Of Me Still Did. Maybe More Than A Part Of Me, Because I'm A Complete Moron.

Moron

Stills

Did You See Him? I Know The Photo Was Grainy, But He Looks Like One Of Those Death Metal Goth Heads, Or Whatever They’re Called. All Dressed In Black With Long Hair I Took Umbrage At My Mother Describing My Boyfriend This Way. John Was The Lord Of The Underworld. How Else Was He Supposed To Dress?

Mother

Hair

Long

Also, I Think I Felt Something Come Loose Back There. I'm Not Trying To Overreact Or Anything But I Think It Was My Uterus. Honest. I Think My Uterus Jiggled Free. My Uterus Is Just Going To Come Out Between My Legs And I'm Going To Look Like I'm Walking Around With An Enormous Load In My Pants.

Thinking

Trying

Uterus

My Shoulders Sagged. Really, Is It Too Much To Ask That I Be Able To Come Home From A Long Day Of Work And Relax? Oh, No. I Have To Come Home And Read A Bunch Of Letters Written To The Love Of My Life By His Fiancée, Who, If I Am Correct, Had Him Killed A Hundred And Fifty Years Ago. Then, As If That Is Not Bad Enough, He Wants Me To Explain The Vietnam War.

War

Home

Years

But Things Were Different Now. I Finally Had My Head -pun Intended- On Straight.

Different

Pun

I Usually Know Almost Exactly How I Feel. The Problem Is, I Just Can't Tell Anyone.

Problem

Feels

Knows

You Know What You Sound Like? A Jealous Girl Friend. And How Are Things On Planet You Wish?

Girl

Jealous

Wish

Why Can't You Just Get Married In Las Vegas Like Normal Americans?

Vegas

Las Vegas

Normal

Looks Fade,' Mom Would Go On. 'but Intelligence Lasts Forever.

Mom

Forever

Looks

You Didn't," John Said, Stepping From The Shadows As He Clapped For Me, "even Hit Your Head This Time.

Shadow

Said

Abandon

I Can't Even Tell You How Good It Felt To See Him. It Felt Even Better When He Reached Through The Metal Grate, Wrapped His Fingers Around The Front Of My Shirt, Dragged Me Forward, And Kissed Me Through The Bars. "sorry" He Said-only Not Looking To Sorry, If You Know What I Mean.

Sorry

Mean

Bars

This Was Something You Had To Work Through On You Own," Jason Said. "besides, I Knew You'd Do The Right Thing." "oh, Right," I Said. I Wanted To Throw Something At Him. I Really Did. "and If I Hadn't?" Now Jason Brandished Something He'd Been Holding Behind His Back. It Was A Golf Club. "i Figured Big Bertha Here Would Drive Them Away," He Said.

Golf

Clubs

Jason

What Is The Appropriate Reply To Make To A Man Who Says He Loves You? Thank You. You Are Very Kind.

Love You

Men

Kind

Write The Kind Of Story You Would Like To Read. People Will Give You All Sorts Of Advice About Writing, But If You Are Not Writing Something You Like, No One Else Will Like It Either.

Kids

Writing

Giving

Hormones Are Very Powerful Things. We Are Helpless In Their Wake.

Powerful

Hormones

Very Powerful

Looks Can Be Deceiving.

Looks

Deceiving

I Don't Think He Could Ever Be A Serial Killer. He's Way Too Shy. That Ted Bundy Guy, He Was Pretty Outgoing , From What I Heard. -jess About Doug P. 107

Thinking

Guy

Ted Bundy

So Uncle Stuart Is Marrying That Lady? Mom Says She's Going To Be Our Aunt Amy. She's Okay Except She Would't Try Any Peanut Butter M&m Chocolate Chip Fudge Cookies. They Were Good- You Ate Five, Remember? But She Said She Was On A Special Diet, And Couldn't Eat Something Called Carbs. We Told Her We Didn't Put Any Carbs In Our Cookies, Just M&ms, But She Said M&ms Were Carbs. Uncle Mitch, What's Carbs? Email To Uncle Mitch From Haily And Brittany.

Mom

Uncles

Aunt

Loud Ringing Noises, I've Discovered, Upset Mr.peepers.

Upset

Noise

Loud

Friend Tim Shakes Hands With Perfect Specimen Of Mankind. Will Never Wash Right Hand Again.

Hands

Perfect

Mankind

Nikki "brandon's Never Hurt Anyone. He's Competely Sweet And Adorable." I Choked A Little On The Sip Of Sparkling Water I'k Just Swallowed. If Brandon Was Sweet And Adorable, I Was Satan's Bride.

Sweet

Hurt

Adorable

If You Really Love Someone, Even If You Can't See Where You'll Be Or What You'll Be Doing Twenty Years From Now, You'd Still Want That Person To Be There.

Years

Twenties

Want

Some People Can Seem Perfect... Everything About Them Can, On Paper, Be Just Right. Until You Get To Know Them. Really Know Them. Then You Find Out, In The End, While They Might Be Perfect To Every One Else, They Just Aren't Right For You.

People

Perfect

Paper

Lana Looked At Me Like I’d Just Said I’d Never Watched Bring It On, Or Something.

Said

And You Can't Have Two Stars In One Relationship. Somebody Has To Be Willing To Be The Wagon...at Lease Some Of The Time

Stars

Two

Wagons

And Eternity Is A Long Time. So If You Have To Spend It With Someone I Could See Wanting To Spend It With Someone Impossible...but Interesting.

Long

Interesting

Impossible

All Of My Characters Are A Little Bit Based On People I Know In Real Life. You Know When You Do That You Have To Change The Character A Little Bit In Case Your Friend Or Your Relative Reads The Book, Because You Don't Want Them To Know You Wrote About Them... They Might Get Mad.

Real

Book

Character

Accept The Things I Cannot Change," I Said. "and Pray For The Courage To Change The Things I Can, As Well As The Wisdom To Know The Difference." The Thing Is... I Know This Is Good Advice. It's Called The Serenity Prayer, And It Really Does Put Things In Perspective (it's Suppose To Be For Recovering Alcoholics, But It Helps Recovering Freakoutaholics, Like Me, As Well).

Prayer

Differences

Perspective

Of Course. I Was On The Run From Evil Spirits That Wanted To Kill Me And Now, According To The Local Paper, The Law. Yet Richard Smith, Cemetery Sexton And Death Deity Scholar, Had A Book For Me To Read In All My Copious Spare Time.

Running

Book

Law

He'd Know That I Think That . . . Well, That Bending An Enemy's Will Through Military Force Is The Absolute Last Way A Nation Ought To Go About Solving Their Problems.

Military

Thinking

Enemy

I Don't Give Books As Gifts. Books Are Extremely Personal, And I Would Hate To Give Someone A Book That They Don't Like Or Want, Because It Would Break My Heart If They Didn't Read It.

Hate

Book

Heart

Oh My God, She Said Are You Going To Be Reasonable About This?

Said

Reasonable

I Don't Seem To Fit To Associate With Humans.

Fit

Humans

Seems

My Original Inspiration Was My Mom: A Few Years After The Death Of My Dad, She Started Dating One My Teachers!

Mom

Teacher

Dad

I Really Liked Drama And Being In Plays, So When I Was Playing A Character Onstage And I Could Act Like Somebody Else, Then I Wasn't Scared Or Nervous, But I Didn't Like Meeting New People When I Had To Be Myself. That Was Scary.

Drama

Character

Play

Who-who Are You?" Seth Asked, Hesitantly."wh-what Do You Want?" How Else Was Was I Supposed To Reply? The Words Were Out Of My Mouth Before I Could Stop Them.i Mean, I'd Only Seen The Movie Like Seventeen Times. "i'm Luke Skywalker," I Said. "i'm Here To Rescue You.

Mean

Want

Mouths

Have You Tried This Shrimp? It's Freaking Amazing. Would You Get Away From Me? I Hate You. You're So Moody. Just Because I Kidnapped You And Tried To Force You To Be My Girlfriend. I Thought You Would Be Over That By Now.

Girlfriend

Hate

Would Be

Because When You Love Something, You Want To Do It All The Time, Even If No One Is Paying You For It. At Least That's How I Felt About Drawing.

Art

Drawing

Want

Usually Writer's Block Arises When Something Is Wrong Internally With The Story.

Block

Stories

Arise

I Swear, Sometimes I Am Convinced My Life Is Just A Series Of Sketches For America's Funniest Home Videos, Minus All That Pants-dropping Business. Except My Life Really Isn't All That Funny If You Think About It.

Home

Thinking

America

Lana Says J.p. Makes Matt Damon From The Bourne Movies Look Like Oliver From Hannah Montana

Looks

Montana

Damon

See? Anger Can Be Healthy. When The Time Comes–and It Will Come–remember That. And What I Said. Embrace Your Powers–love Yourself The Way Nature Made You, And You Will Prevail. Always.

Love Yourself

Healthy

Way

We Can All Agree That First Loves Can Be A Scary Thing, And That Growing Up Is Hard To Do.

Growing Up

First Love

Scary

I Realized That Life Is So Short: Why Waste One Minute Of It Worrying What Other People Think Or Say About You, Or What Score You Got On Some Test? Why Not Believe What You Want To Believe, And Do What You Love?

Believe

Thinking

Worry

I Didn't Even Think About Suggesting He Take The Boots Off. There'd Probably Be A Apocalypse Or Something.

Thinking

Boots

Apocalypse

I Used To Draw And Illustrate, But I Don't Do That Anymore Because I Just Like To Write. I Like To Leave The Illustrations To Actual Professional Illustrators.

Writing

Illustration

Used

It's Just That The Times I'm Wrong Don't Register In Your Memory With As Much Clarity As The Times I'm Right.

Memories

Clarity

He Let His Mouth Linger On Mine, Neither Possessively Nor Sweetly... Like His Mouth Just Belonged There On Mine. And He Was Right. It Did. It Always Had.

Mouths

Abandon

Mines

You Can't Turn Love On And Off Like A Faucet.

Turns

And Off

What's The Point? Was My Attitude. We're All Just Going To Die And Then Not Be Let On The Boat.

Attitude

Boat

My Attitude

Being Brave Is When You Have To Do Something Because You Know It Is Right, But At The Same Time, You Are Afraid To Do It, Because It Might Hurt Or Whatever. But You Do It Anyway.

Strength

Hurt

Bravery

But Then I Remembered Something Grandmere Had Once Assured Me Of: No One Has Ever Died Of Embarrassment-never, Not Once In The Whole History Of Time.

Embarrassment

Remembered

Whole

I've Never Even Been To Long Island

Islands

Long

Long Island

When I Did See The Story Of Persephone, I Was Really Drawn To It. Persephone, The Goddess Of Spring, Was Kept From Olympus By Her Mother, Demeter, Because Demeter Was Very Worried That The Gods Of Olympus Would Do Something Terrible To Her.

Mother

Spring

Olympus

But I Intend To Enjoy The Weeks I Have Left With You To The Fullest. Because I Know From My Study Of The Philosophy Of Time, Whatever Is Going To Happen In The Future Is Already Unavoidable.

Philosophy

Study

Week

So Go Ahead And Make Your Way Back From The Edge Of Yesterday No One Knows What Can't Be Known 'cause When You Start You're All Alone But Take Enough Steps Take Enough Steps Take Enough Steps And Someday Someday You'll Be Home ---heather Wells, Untitled

Home

Yesterday

Heathers

I Think You Get So Wrapped Up In The Book You're Currently Writing, It's Hard To Think About Anything Else. But I Know As Soon As I'm Done With This Book, I'll Move On To Something Else.

Moving

Book

Writing

Suze, Your Whole Life," My Dad Went On, Not Without Sympathy, "you've Always Made The Right Decisions. Not Necessarily The Easiest Ones. The Right Ones. Don't Mess That Up Now, When You're Facing What's Probably The Most Important Decision You'll Ever Have To Make.

Dad

Decision

Important

There Was A Dj Who Stayed Up For Eleven Days Straight, The Longest-recorded Period Of Time Anyone Has Ever Gone Without Sleep, And He Started Playing Nothing But Crosby, Stills And Nash, And That's How They Knew It Was Time To Call The Ambulance.

Sleep

Gone

Eleven

Remember... Life Is Short. Each Moment You Have Is Precious. Treasure Every Second. Don't Spend Them Doing Anything You Don't Love.

Life Is Short

Treasure

Remember

I Thought You'd Like It," He Said, Seeming Hurt. "you Look Very Pretty.

Hurt

Looks

Said

And In What Fairy Tale Would John Ever Be Any Sane Person's Idea Of Prince Charming Anyway? He Was The Opposite Of Charming. More Like Prince Terrifying.

Opposites

Ideas

Fairy Tale

I Think We Make Our Own Luck. Our Parents Give Us Life, But What We Do With That Life Is Our Own Responsibility.

Responsibility

Thinking

Giving

Tell Me Jesse, Does She Sigh When You Kiss Her Too

Kissing

Doe

Sigh

Understanding Quotes: Their Essence and Application

Quotes, or quotations, are powerful tools in communication, encapsulating ideas, emotions, and wisdom in concise expressions. They serve various purposes across different contexts, from academic writing to everyday conversation.

1. Defining Quotes

A quote is a repetition of someone else's statement or thoughts. It can be a direct replication of words spoken or written by another individual, often used to support arguments, provide evidence, or convey profound insights.

2. The Importance of Quotes

2.1. Enhancing Credibility

Incorporating quotes from authoritative sources can bolster the credibility of your work. By referencing experts or primary sources, you demonstrate thorough research and a solid foundation for your arguments.

2.2. Providing Evidence

Quotes serve as concrete evidence to support claims. In academic and professional writing, they validate points made, offering readers a basis to trust the information presented.

2.3. Conveying Emotions and Perspectives

Quotes can encapsulate emotions and perspectives succinctly. They allow writers to express complex feelings or viewpoints through the words of others, often more eloquently than paraphrasing.

3. Types of Quotes

3.1. Direct Quotes

Direct quotes involve copying the exact words from a source, enclosed in quotation marks. They are used when the original wording is significant or particularly well-expressed.

3.2. Indirect Quotes (Paraphrasing)

Indirect quotes restate the original message in your own words. While not enclosed in quotation marks, they still require proper attribution to the original source.

3.3. Block Quotes

Block quotes are lengthy direct quotations, formatted as a separate block of text. They are typically used for quotes exceeding a certain length, varying by citation style. For instance, in APA style, quotes longer than 40 words are formatted as block quotes.

4. Proper Usage of Quotes

4.1. Contextual Relevance

Ensure that the quote you choose is relevant to the topic and adds value to your content. Avoid inserting quotes solely for decorative purposes.

4.2. Integration into Your Writing

Seamlessly integrate quotes into your writing. Introduce them appropriately and follow up with analysis or commentary to connect them to your main points.

4.3. Attribution and Citation

Always attribute quotes to their original authors and provide proper citations according to the required style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

5.1. Overusing Quotes

Relying too heavily on quotes can overshadow your voice. Use them sparingly to support your arguments, not replace them.

5.2. Lack of Analysis

Presenting a quote without analysis or explanation can leave readers questioning its relevance. Always follow up with your interpretation or discussion.

5.3. Misquoting or Taking Out of Context

Ensure that quotes are accurate and not taken out of context, as this can mislead readers and undermine your credibility.

6. Quotes in Different Contexts

6.1. Academic Writing

In academic writing, quotes are used to support arguments, provide evidence, and engage with existing literature. Proper citation is crucial to avoid plagiarism.

6.2. Journalism

Journalists use quotes to provide firsthand accounts, add authenticity, and present multiple perspectives within a story.

6.3. Literature and Creative Writing

In literature, quotes can be used to convey character voices, themes, and stylistic elements. They enrich narratives and provide depth to storytelling.

7. Punctuation and Formatting

Understanding the correct punctuation and formatting of quotes is essential:

Quotation Marks: Always enclose direct quotes within quotation marks.

Punctuation Placement: In American English, periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks, while colons and semicolons are placed outside.

Block Quotes: For longer quotes, format them as block quotes without quotation marks, and indent the entire block.

8. Ethical Considerations

Ethical use of quotes involves accurate representation, proper attribution, and respect for intellectual property. Misuse can lead to plagiarism, which carries serious academic and professional consequences.

9. Tools for Managing Quotes

Utilize tools like citation generators and plagiarism checkers to manage quotes effectively. These tools help ensure proper formatting and originality in your writing.

Conclusion

Quotes are invaluable in enriching content, providing evidence, and conveying complex ideas succinctly. When used appropriately, they enhance the quality and credibility of your writing. Always ensure relevance, proper integration, and ethical usage to maximize their impact.

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