How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Things changed when I was thirteen. That year, Sherry Heller invited Charlie and me to her basement New Year's Eve party so we could all watch her make out with her big-nosed boyfriend from Midland Catholic. (1.13.3)
As Vera and Charlie grow up, the nature of their feelings for each other definitely start to shift. They may not acknowledge it, but on that New Year's Eve, Charlie kisses Vera for the first time, and it's clear that they both feel some attraction to one another. Boy, isn't puberty confusing?
Quote #2
"I know you know about sex. And I know you're smart. But you're about to enter a whole new part of life where things aren't as simple as they once were." (1.18.10)
As Vera grows older, even her relationship with Charlie starts to change. Her father gives her different warnings now, about how she has to be careful when she sleeps in the tree house with him, and about how she can't date him because of his family.
Quote #3
I was still digesting the whole mother-was-a-stripper thing on top of the mother-never-coming-back thing. I felt a deep resentment toward Dad that summer. I think part of me blamed him for her leaving and part of me wanted to leave him, too. (1.19.3)
Growing older means having to learn hard truths, like the fact that Vera's mom was a stripper and that she left Vera and her dad forever. It's hard to process that kind of information, especially when you've barely gone through puberty.
Quote #4
In the shower, I note that I'm reshaping. Again. I thought this was supposed to be over by now. It's not like I can ask Dad about it. (1.20.16)
Without her mom, Vera has to go through all her feminine body changes by herself, since it's awkward to talk to her dad about it. That's yet another bonding opportunity that her mom misses out on by leaving.
Quote #5
The fact is, being twenty-three makes James even more attractive to me. If you think about it, it's only five years. When I'm thirty-five, he'll be forty. When I'm eighty, he'll be eighty-five. Doesn't seem like such a bad thing when I put it that way, does it? (2.4.12)
Vera thinks she's so grown-up and wise to the ways of the world, and that she's mature enough to date a twenty-three-year-old. But she's still just a teenager no matter how she spins it, and she's still got a lot to learn.
Quote #6
Suddenly, I realized what might be going on. I felt so stupid for not realizing it sooner. My heart broke. (2.5.50)
When you grow up, you're not as shielded from the ugly realities of life anymore, which Vera learns when she realizes that Charlie's dad is abusing him. It's like the world gets a little darker right before her eyes.
Quote #7
I have a secret life. All these idiots are caught up in their stupid sports or their college choices. They're caught up in trivial fashion or who's getting laid or who's snorting coke or who likes what music or who's going to prom with who. And I have a full-time job, a twenty-three-year-old boyfriend, and a secret binge drinking problem. (2.12.6)
In a twisted way, Vera is proud of the ways in which she's messing up her life by dating an older dude and drinking alcohol to make herself feel better. She feels like having all these problems makes her more mature and superior to her peers.
Quote #8
We both would turn fifteen that fall. He was starting to grow fluff on his chest. I was starting to feel attracted to him more than I ever had before, and I felt totally lame about it. (2.13.33)
Growing up can be so confusing. As Vera hits adolescence, she starts to feel some non-platonic things for her best friend, Charlie—and we're pretty sure he's feeling them right back. Hormones can be so crazy.
Quote #9
Both of us were working a lot, and Charlie dated a few more girls. He didn't tell me, but I heard. I'd met Mitch, a private-school kid who worked the breakfast shift at Arby's with me on the weekends and who asked me out to the movies twice. (3.7.62-63)
As they enter their teenage years, Vera and Charlie both experiment with being more "grown-up" by dating other people, even though it's obvious that they'd much rather be dating each other.
Quote #10
We went to the pagoda. When we got there, I felt like a new person—a seventeen-year-old grown-up. When I pulled the helmet from my head, I felt, for the first time in my life, nearly as cool as Charlie. (3.9.3)
Riding on a motorcycle with the boy that you like really does seem like a teenage rite of passage (especially in the movies). When Charlie starts showing an interest in Vera, it makes her feel like maybe they're finally old enough to take their relationship to the next level, like maybe they're mature now.