Quotes from Rachel Hawthorne

You know, the real problem is going to come in a few days when it begins yellowing. Then it'll seriously clash with your reddish hair." Only Tiffany would worry about properly accessorizing a black eye. "But it'll go great with my eyes," I said. "Because yellow and green go together." "Mmm. Might work. Still, come and see me if you want it to go away." And what was she going to do? Wave a magic wand?

What are you doing?" Tiffany sked. Holding the cap, I faced her. "I have to wear the cap to get a discounted price on the barbecue." She snatched the cap from between my fingers. "You're not ruining my creation with a baseball hat. Pay full price. Beauty isn't cheap.

I looked in the mirror again. I wasn't even sure I could get the cap on over the fluff. "Maybe we went a little overboard." "Trust me. We didn't." I wasn't so sure, though, when we walked into the kitchen where Dad was giving Jason pointers on driving in the rain, as though Raglan offered challenges he might never have encountered before.

Jason was the next batter. He did his whole Velcro routine. Then he stepped up to the plate. The first ball went past. "Strike!" I groaned. "Come on, Jason." He swung at the second. I didn't realize I was squeezing Tiffany's and Bird's hands until Bird said, "You know, bones break under pressure." "Oh, sorry." I tried holding my own hands, but it wasn't as comforting.

Tiffany had taken a pass on eating. She was entertaining a couple of guys in the pool area. By entertaining, I mean asking silly questions they were dumb enough to try to answer.

Just because you dread doing something doesn't make you a coward. Just because you do something you dread doesn't make you brave. In my case, I wasn't sure what I was.

You know people are going to think you like me if you hang around my locker." Pushing away from the locker, he swung his gaze back to me. "I do like you." Then he walked away as though the world still spun on its axis.

I don't know all the answers in life, but the beauty in math is that the answer is always there." He scoffed. "Yet I never seem to be able to find it." "Maybe you've been looking in the wrong place.

I wasn't usually one to toot my own horn, which could also explain the no-boyfriend-status of my life. If bright plumage was the key, I was closer to being a brown wren.

I didn't mean play with you exactly," I said. "I meant…you know, keep you company so you don't feel awkward…you know, like I exercised with you." "I'll be okay alone in the backyard." He stepped off the treadmill. "I'm going to go shower." He waited a heartbeat, like he expected me to say I'd be happy to keep him company in the shower, too. Fortunately, my brain finally kicked in, and I kept my mouth shut.

I'm impressed, Tiff. That's a great idea." Her having a great idea was a sobering thought, because if she had in fact gotten brains, too…well, I'd been shortchanged.

You've got Mac. When we went to get drinks at the concert, all he talked about was how cool you were. And Jason? The way he looks at you sometimes…if Mom ever sees that look, the guy will be sleeping in his car.

This look Jason gives me…tell me a little more about that." She shrugged. "He looks like he adores you, like crossing the hallway and knocking on your door crosses his mind sometimes.

Watch Brandon run across the field," Bird said. He made a beeline for the pitcher's mound, did a little leap over it, and ran to the dugout. "He does that every time," Bird said. "Why?" "Says it brings him luck. He is so superstitious. He won't wash his game socks as long as the team is winning." "Ew! And he didn't want to work in a fertilizer plant?" "I know. Go figure.

With the wind blowing through the windows, we all had to remove our caps. My hair was whipping around my face. I heard a screech from the front of the bus. Tiffany, learning to deal with flying hair.

Next year's fund-raising committee was the last thing I wanted to think about. For the next couple of hours, I planned to focus on this year's team, this year's pitcher. Tonight's date.

Crack! I covered my head, ducked down. Bird didn't laugh. She likened me to a survivor of some traumatic event who is always spooked by certain noises. She just touched my shoulder and said, "It went the other way." I straightened up. "But it was a foul ball." "Yeah." I hated that I kept flinching. I wondered how long it was going to take before I could totally relax at a game.

Jason pulled me into the driveway, turned off the car, and kissed me. Then it got kinda weird. It was like: Where should our last kiss be? In the car? At the door? Inside the foyer? Outside my bedroom?

I mean, if the choice was playing on a field with girls or watching a field of guys, Bird and I were going to choose the guys every time.

Bird honked again. She has her own car. I share one with Tiffany, but she'd already called it for the day. Actually, she'd called it pretty much for the entire summer, and since she had "obligations," I was used to her getting what she wanted. Especially guys. I basically carry a mop to clean up their drool whenever she's around.

How do you get a boyfriend?" I asked. "If I knew that, I'd have one," Bird said.

Obviously, he didn't think I understood the whole ritual scene, and in truth, I didn't. I mean, sure, when I played softball, I always chewed cinnamon-flavored gum during the game, and I never started chewing until after the national anthem. But that was different. If I didn't do that, I missed way more balls than I caught. But home runs? There was nothing that guaranteed home runs.

I couldn't help but think she'd gotten her chest plus mine. But that was okay, because I liked to think I'd gotten her brains plus mine.

He took my hand, gave me a quick kiss, and led me to the front porch where my parents had left the light on. "I had a really nice time," I said with a very serious face. He chuckled lightly. "Yeah, me, too. Maybe we could go out again sometime." I almost burst out laughing. "I'd like that." "Good night, Dani," he said quietly. Then he took me in his arms and gave me a good-night kiss to remember.