How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I guess she's trying to get close again, but it feels so awkward, like we can't figure out how to go back to the way it was before. I place the cupcake back in the box and wonder if things between me and Joci will ever be good again. If I can ever trust her again. (4.55)
It's not just Joci that Corinna has trouble trusting—it's the world. How could you, when the world just took away your favorite person?
Quote #2
I'm mad at Joci for a lot of reasons. But I also need her. It felt so good when she stuck up for me at lunch the other day, better than any cupcake ever could. Being so mad at the person you want on your side feels terrible. (5.40)
This is the same thing that motivates people to apologize for things that aren't their fault: Sometimes it feels easier to swallow your anger than stand up for yourself.
Quote #3
I didn't tell my friends. I didn't want anyone to know. If they knew, then it would be even harder for me to block it out. (8.9)
After her mom dies, Corinna is torn between wanting people to acknowledge her pain and wanting them to let her forget it. The trouble, of course, is that it's impossible to forget.
Quote #4
The great thing about Clare is that she understands the serious stuff. Another great thing about Clare is that we can joke about things that no one else gets, like baked ziti. (9.41)
Obviously it's not actually funny when your mom dies and the neighbors pity-cook for you. However, you eventually have to find something to laugh at in the middle of the pain, and for Clare and Corinna, it's the fact that baked ziti seems to be the default condolence dish.
Quote #5
Joci is a great friend in some ways, but after what happened with my bracelet, on top of blabbing about my mom to who knows how many people last summer, I really don't know if we can stay friends. (10.39)
For the first half of the book, Joci's not a great friend at all. But we'll cut her a little slack—she hasn't had any practice dealing with death. (But seriously, what's up with that bracelet?)
Quote #6
If you'd told me back in September that Clare would become a regular member of our lunch table by November, I would never have believed it. No one changes where they sit unless there's some big fight or something. (11.16)
By accepting Clare, Corinna's friends show her she can trust them. Allowing Clare to sit with them is an act of kindness not just to Clare, but also to Corinna.
Quote #7
Now I'm really not sure our friendship will survive. And that would be sad. We've been friends for so many years, and I really love her mom. (13.39)
Joci's mom is the closest person Corinna has to a mother after Sophie dies—we just wish Joci's mom would reassure Corinna that she's not going anywhere. (Saying it with Victoria's Secret is the next best thing, though.)
Quote #8
"So even though I hate it when you say things like that, or broadcast to the entire world about my mom having cancer even after I ask you not to, I just hope we can be real friends again, like before." (16.53)
Her friendship with Joci will never be like before because Sophie's death has made Corinna a different person. However, seeing that they can weather something so awful is likely to make the friendship even stronger.
Quote #9
"Yeah… but… well… it was really hard. I felt so uncomfortable. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what you wanted me to do." (16.56)
Finally, Joci admits it. Sixteen chapters in is better than never, right? Let the healing begin.
Quote #10
After our showdown with Dylan in PE, Nicole begins to hang out with Joci, Clare, Eliana, Lena, Olivia and me. She's really fun, and when she doesn't have that blank look on her face, she's really pretty. (44.18)
We're willing to bet Nicole's blank look is an external sign of her internal numbness—sometimes shutting down is the only way to not fall apart. It's not a good coping mechanism, but it's a coping mechanism nonetheless.