How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
My fingers traced the letters etched on the front of Amy's journal. "Heathcliff was the ultimate bad boy, but Mr. Darcy had Pemberley." With her artist's eye and colored pencils, Amy had made it look like the skillful tagging you'd see on the underpass of the freeway.
Amy lived for romance […] That horrible summer when Amy's mom died of heart failure […] I'd yank my pillow onto the floor, flop back, and listen to Amy read from a romance book. Amy's mom hadn't left her much and her collection of romance novels was worth nothing but to Amy they were priceless. (4.9-10)
And so begins Amy's obsession with romance novels. She adores every love story she comes across and wants to find her real-life version of the heroes in those stories. But do guys like that really exist? She'll find out soon.
Quote #2
She stood in front of Amy's painting. "Damn, that kid had talent. What a waste." She spun around. "Did you see that wall in the dining room with the corny paint-by number picture collection? Those are definitely coming down."
"Grammie painted those. You're not taking them down." After the long ride here, where we'd spent half the trip screaming at each other and the other half sulking in silence with the radio blaring, I'd had more than enough of my mom for the day.
"They are ugly."
I clutched Amy's journal against my chest. "No, that hideous looking skeleton tattoo on your forearm is ugly. Grammie's paintings are cool. Don't even think about touching them." (4.14-17)
Amy obviously got all the artistic genes in the family because Grammie's paintings aren't much to look at. Dani doesn't care, though—she loves being surrounded by her family's artwork.
Quote #3
A tray of used paint bottles and a bundle of worn paintbrushes sat next to the box. Growing up, it was rare to see Amy without a brush in her hand or a smudge of paint across her face. I was always jealous of the fact that so many incredible, lifelike images flowed from her brushes, and I could barely scratch out a stick figure. (4.22)
While Amy envied Dani's good looks and confidence, Dani was really jealous of her cousin's ability to paint. Maybe because art is an excellent way to express what you're feeling? Could Dani use an outlet like that, too?