How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
He said it happened two weeks ago when his mother was on her way to Paris and his dad was supposedly gunning his motorbike on trails. Robby wasn't supposed to be home, either, because the Redlands Symphony orchestra was performing in the auditorium at the high school. (8.1)
Here Pearl describes Robby's reaction to Hoyt's "affair." While the affair never actually took place, we can see here that the choices we make (in this case, stashing some girl away in your room) often lead other people to believe we are doing something that we really aren't.
Quote #2
Budweiser. Cold. Pre-purchased. Ready for the not-spontaneous spontaneous outing. I tried to get Greenie's eyes on mine when he snapped a beer out of its plastic bracelet and handed it to her, but Greenie didn't meet my eyes as she casually popped the metal tab. She took a sip, screwed the bottom of the can into the sand so it wouldn't tip over, and began to unwrap her taco like we were all still in Normal World. (13.41)
When Pearl ditches school with Greenie and Hickey, she doesn't realize how much of the adventure they've planned already. It's not until they bust out some cold ones that it dawns on her she might actually be doing something bad. Even though she doesn't know about the beer initially, her poor choices of lying to her teachers and skipping school lead her down this path.
Quote #3
I'd never been there so late in the day, when the light was orange and gnats hung in nameless constellations. In certain parts of the woods, the oldest, biggest trees were burnt to charcoal from past fires, but they'd sprouted soft leaves and young white branches. […] I always felt when I reached these huge shrouded rooms that I'd found my way to a foreign country, a secret wilderness into which I could disappear. (18.6)
Breaking her grounding (again) and sneaking off to see Amiel, Pearl realizes that she might be able to get away with this more often. There's nothing like getting away with deception to consider doing it again… and again… and again.