How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
So far, she'd been her usual lame self: solitary and routine-loving, carefully avoiding any path that might lead to spontaneous human interaction. (8.40)
Relationships take courage—you stand to lose when you love, after all—and Lena, the introvert, is really afraid and untrusting of people. Her life is boring but safe when summer starts out. Emphasis on the boring.
Quote #2
She looked at the Pants. They challenged her to get naked fast. (8.46)
This, Shmoopsters, is personification at its best. Lena has one more day in the Pants, and she feels pressure to make it count, so caught up in Caldera's beauty, she throws caution (and her clothes) to the wind and skinny dips. This is totally uncharacteristic of Lena, but the Pants give her the courage she needs to live in the moment. For a moment, anyway.
Quote #3
She felt brave going back there. It didn't take much to make her feel brave. (17.3)
Seriously, Lena has got to live a little—it takes bravery for her to just visit the place where Kostos saw her skinny dipping. What is she so afraid of? Seeing Kostos naked? We're pretty sure there are worse things in the world.