1
Mamá had always made it clear she believed girls who got raped deserved it. I hadn't done any of the things she said “bad” girls did, though. I didn't parade myself around in sluttish clothes and make untoward advances. But Mamá had been wrong about everything else so far, so maybe she'd been wrong about that, too. Maybe it didn't matter whether you were bad or good, prudish or wanton: maybe just being female was enough, for some men. Maybe, like so much else, it was only about control. But then why do I feel so guilty?.Nenia Campbell
2
This softening she sees in me isn't enough to make me affectionate, but it's just enough to render me inept. I can't give her what she wants – virtuousness – or what she needs – protection.Nenia Campbell
3
I wasn't a complete bastard. If she liked to think she saw good in me, if she wanted to take credit for it, I'd let her. She deserved that much.Nenia Campbell
4
Too bad. Game over. Insert new fucking quarter.Nenia Campbell
5
What a joke, coming from a woman who worked for the fashion industry. Really. Starving yourself to fit into a size zero – why did that size even exist? Zero referred to the absence of something, but what did it mean in terms of a model's measurements? Her fat? Or her presence? How much could you cut away before the person herself vanished? It was hypocritical, that's what it was. I said as much, adding, “If you're so keen on me being healthy then you should have no problem accepting me for the way I am. That's what's healthy, Mom. Not being focused on all this freaky weight-loss stuff.Nenia Campbell
6
In her view, there were threeoptions for a woman. If you were beautiful, you got married. If youwere ugly, you became a nun. If you were beautiful and stupid, orugly and dishonorable, you became a whore.Nenia Campbell
7
What is your collective GPA for this year?”“ Not as high as I'd like it to be.” Freud steepled his fingers in front of his mouth. “What about your parents?”“ I don't know. They haven't been in school for a while.Nenia Campbell