Yes, she cares about me. But nobody in this house is allowed to care about anything that doesn't somehow serve as combat training. [ his point is that if he shared his admittance at the dinner table that he planned to attend college as soon as his time was up at the local high school, rather than shipping off to the military with a buzzcut and taking a class here and there for their careers, well, he would be asking for the plate to fly across the table and shatter behind him against the wall. he doesn't know if Clare will show her approval, her joy, or just let it slide to the carpet like salad from a broken dish. ] I'm sorry. None of this is your problem. If I get in, I promise you'll be one of the first few people I tell.

[ assuming she doesn't get out of town first. ]

You want to hear about wizards and vampires and knights? Which aren't all in the same story, for the record. [ dirty, dirty shame. she does not want to know! he doesn't even know why he's sharing against his better judgment. supernatural creatures, fantastical times - they're great. they're perfect. in the end, he always recognizes that good will triumph over evil. the hero's journey will certainly cause strife and doubt, but the greater purpose will always come to fruition. a guarantee that real life simply can't hand out to him.

Ben laughs at her, short and maybe a little morbid. ] Were they ever options for anything other than torture?

[ while he's grateful he doesn't have a younger sibling to make him sit through Frozen six thousand times, Clare's just as bad. all of their siblings had a movie or two they liked to loop and quote the lines back to the television at. he's not much better. ]

Fine, but no laughing, or kicking me out of my own bed on a technicality. [ because his taste in movies is as sucky as the next teenager's. ] The Star Trek reboots despite their flaws and . . . Fight Club.

[ what? he's a boy. ]