How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"He wanted to be normal," Riley said quietly, picking out another pretzel. Then, glancing at me, she explained, "Dave had never been in public school. He was actually going to go to college early, because he's so smart and got moved up so much. But then he decided he wanted to, you know, live like a regular teenager." (3.106)
Dave may be a super brilliant math geek, but he's not so well versed in normal teenage life. It makes a lot of sense that he'd want to spend some time at a public school, making friends and doing normal teenage stuff.
Quote #2
But the truth was, I still wasn't sure who this Mclean was, here. I kept waiting for her to turn up, falling into place as easily as Eliza and Lizbet and Beth before her, but so far it hadn't happened. Instead, I still felt unformed, like a cake half baked with edges crisp, but still mushy in the middle. (5.145)
Being in Lakeview is giving Mclean a chance to figure out who she really is, and while it may not be a totally comfortable ride, it's an important lesson for her to have. At the end of the day, you can't keep hiding around personas.
Quote #3
"Brain Camp?"
"This math thing I've done every summer since fifth grade," he explained. I was supposed to be a counselor again this year. But Ellis, Riley, Heather and I want to do this big road trip to Texas. Which is, you know, somewhat less academic." (7.173-4)
Oh boy—if Dave's parents are freaked out by him wanting to go to public school, they'll definitely be freaked out when he announces that he's not doing Brain Camp and is going on a road trip instead. But it'll be good for him to vary what he does every summer.
Quote #4
I sighed, then bounced the ball once, squaring my shoulders. Other than that random Boomerang a few weeks ago, I hadn't had my hands on a basketball in years. But that morning had been all about doing things I had never planned to do again, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. (10.172)
Sometimes going forward means overcoming your fears—even if you fear something as silly as playing basketball again. Mclean needs to get past her parents' divorce, and one way to do that is to finally look at basketball as something other than the devil incarnate.
Quote #5
Suddenly, I was just sure he was going to kiss me. He was there, I could feel his breath, the ground solid beneath us. But then something crossed his face, a thought, a hesitation, and he shifted slightly. Not now. Not yet. (10.207)
It's tempting to test out this burgeoning new romance between Mclean and a certain boy next door, but they're both worried that if they take that step, they can't take it back—no matter what the consequences are.
Quote #6
But anyone can begin. It was the part with all the promise, the potential, the things I loved. More and more, though, I was finding myself wanting to find out what happened in the end. (11.39)
Mclean's always started projects, made new friends, created personas… and then skipped town before anything gets complicated. But maybe now she needs to see things to the end. Maybe that's an important part of her personal journey.
Quote #7
"Where is your sense of adventure? Of change? This could be really, really good for the restaurant. A return to its past glory days!" Opal said. (12.16)
Well, well, well… Talk about a change of heart. Opal—who was dead-set against change for Luna Blu—is now thinking about how she can revitalize the restaurant and make it more profitable in the future. Looks like Mclean's dad has rubbed off on her after all.
Quote #8
Here, though, it was different. We'd come in the same way, but since then everything had changed, from me using my real name to my dad starting to date even with no next move in sight. Add in the fact that I was actually on decent terms with my mom, and this was officially an entirely new ball game. (12.20)
Both Mclean and her dad are stepping outside of their comfort zone in Lakeview, and it's about time. They've been moving along like restaurant fixing robots for so long that they desperately needed a reminder to stop and actually live for once.
Quote #9
The street was dark, no cars in sight as I pulled onto the road. I had no idea where I was, but I knew how to get where I was going. I put on my blinker and turned right, toward North Reddemane. (14.131)
In her worst moment, Mclean knows that she has to go somewhere that feels like home to her… or at least someplace familiar. She gets into her car and hits the open road, because sometimes that's what you've got to do when you're feeling lost and lonely.
Quote #10
"But I have to say," I continued, "that it stinks when it comes down to it, there were only two choices. Go forward, to Hawaii, and start all over again, or backward, back to my old life, which doesn't even really exist anymore."
"You need a third option," he said. (16.212-213)
It's not fair that Mclean has only been presented with two options, when neither really appeals to her. What she really needs is a way to stay in Lakeview so that she can keep her awesome new friends and keep living her new life.