How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"I've been working for my dad a lot. He owns the bookstore downtown." (1.43)
Laurel is no stranger to responsibility. We never find out whether or how her dad compensates her for working in his bookstore—does she get paid an hourly wage, or is it counted like a chore, something she's just supposed to do in exchange for all the time and effort her parents have put into caring for her? Still, this gives us the sense that Laurel is happy to be helpful when others might view it as a drag.
Quote #2
"Wait," David said, holding on to her arm. "Don't go. Not when you're all freaked out like this." He tried to meet her eyes, but she refused to look at him. "I'm really worried about you. Can't you just tell me?" (6.48)
David is a really responsible friend, totally looking out for Laurel as a good friend should, so while she's acting strange and worrying about the unexplained flower on her back, he's worrying about her. What makes him so good at fulfilling his friendly duties is that he goes beyond worrying about her to acting on that worry, and reaching out to her so that he can support her during this time.
Quote #3
"If you were a parent and your kid told you she had a giant flower growing out of her back, what would you do? […] You would do the responsible thing. You'd take her to the hospital; she'd get poked and prodded and become a medical freak. That's what would happen to me. I don't want to be that kid, David." (6.115-117)
Laurel raises a good point here: As much as she'd like to tell her parents about the flower growing on her back, she can't. They would do the responsible thing and bring her to a doctor to have it checked out, and that's when all hell would break loose. Sometimes the responsible thing to do is not the desired course of action.