Quote 10
I opened my mouth again but this time not to speak, and she reached up and put a finger to my lips and said, "Shh. Shh. Don't ruin it." (52before.14)
Miles wants to say three little words to Alaska, but she shoves him away. "Don't ruin it." What is there to ruin? What would happen if Miles busted out the L word with her?
Quote 11
"All I remember is that she had a lot of sex."
"I know. She's my hero," Alaska said without a trace of irony. (49before.7-8)
The "she" here is Edna St. Vincent Millay, who did actually have a lot of sex. But she also wrote some pretty great poems and was an active feminist… sort of like Alaska. You may find it useful to read up on Millay if she's Alaska's hero.
Quote 12
I spent that afternoon with Lara. We were very cutesy, even though we didn't know the first thing about each other and barely talked. But we made out. She grabbed my butt at one point, and I sort of jumped. (thelastday.12)
Miles isn't very comfortable with Lara; he focuses on how they don't really talk, but she's really cute. Think back to Miles's thoughts when he and Lara made out in the barn—he thought he was the greatest kisser, but she thought he was slobbering on her nose. What does this say about people's perspectives of intimacy?