Even when he's doing nothing, personality spills out of his every pore.

I pick up my pencil.Shoot. My hand is shaking.How is it possible to still be this nervous? I've felt this way for over eight hours now.

This is myself, and myself is a mess!" I hiss. I look around the room. Boys, boys, boys everywhere. Boys with perfect smiles. Boys with hair gelled up into flawless little spikes. Boys waving headshots in each other's faces.None of them looks anywhere near as nervous as I feel.

Do you like Justin?" Bhai finally asks.I shrug. "He's nice to me." I keep watching the TV."Right, right. I guess I meant... Well, Rahul, do you... I meant, do you like..." Bhai's voice trails off, and something about the way he pauses makes my stomach queasy.

Being different is what makes us fun, remember?

I'm going to have to dance with Jenny. Like, put my arms around her. What if I do it wrong? How am I even supposed to do it? If I do it wrong, will people think that I'm...?

I feel like I could do anything. The world is my oyster. If I ate oysters, which I don't. My family's vegetarian. But you know what I mean.

He starts towards the door and then hesitates. He turns back around. "Rahul. Whether you place first or fifth or thirty-fifth or two thousand and fifth..." He pauses, and he looks me right in the eye. "And no matter who you are. Your mom and I will always love you.