ALLIE: I prayed for you to die. During the war. I really did, Noah. Well, not die.

I would’ve felt
terrible if you’d died. I just wanted you to kind of not be alive anymore. I couldn’t bear the
thought of us never being together again, of your being with someone else, which is why I
should go now, don’t you think? Oh, God,, I am so confused. It may not seem like it, but I am.
For seven years, no matter what I did, I couldn’t get you out of my mind, and then I met Lon,
and he’s really great, and I told him I’d marry him. And I want to marry him, I really do, but then
I saw your picture in the paper. And I knew I couldn’t marry him until I saw you again, because
we never really finished things, not really. And now here I am, and all those adolescent feelings
have come back, and I still love Lon, and I’d never break off our marriage. But, basically, all I
want to do is crawl under a rock and stay there for the rest of the life. So, what do I do? Leave
before I make a total mess of things, right? Or do I say the hell with everything and just stay
here and enjoy whatever time we’ve got left? You tell me. What do I do?

Jen (Michelle Williams): My name is Jen Lindley. And I was friends with Abby, as much as
anyone could be because Abby had a toxic personality, in fact it was almost bordering on
radioactive. Abby could be cruel and Abby could be spiteful, and Abby could certainly be petty.
She spent her days mischievously stirring up trouble, and creating calamity, and generally,
taking pleasure in other people's pain. You know, in Sunday School, they teach us that God
made Man in his image. Well, if God made Abby in his own image then what does that say
about God? God has always been such a mystery to me. I mean, what kind of deity creates a
world that is so full of suffering and so full of pain. I tell you what, Abby taught me a lot. She
taught me how to do a tequila shooter with one hand tied behind my back, and she taught me
to live life by my own set of values, and not follow the crowd, in hopes of winning some
phantom popularity contest. But most of all, what's most important, is Abby taught me the
sadistic nature of our God and as much as that knowledge is disturbing, it's true. And it's real.
And for a world that is so saturated with phoniness and lies, for that small amount, for that
little bit of honesty, I will always be grateful to her.

CORY: I live here too! I am not scared of you. I was walking by you to go into the house cause
you are sitting on the steps drunk, singing to yourself. You can put it like that. I don’t have to
say excuse me to you. You don’t count around here no more. That’s right. You always talking
this dumb stuff. Now, why don’t you just get out my way.
You talking about what you did for me… what’d you ever give me? You never gave me nothing!
You never done nothing but hold me back. Afraid I was gonna be better than you. All you ever
did was try and make me scared of you. I used to tremble every time you called my name. Every
time I heard your footsteps in the house. Wondering all the time… what’s Papa gonna say if I do
this?… What’s he gonna say if I do that?… What’s Papa gonna say if I turn on the radio? And
Mama, too… she tries… but she’s scared of you. I don’t know how she stand you… after what
you did to her. What are you gonna do… give me a whupping? You can’t whup me no more.
You’re too old. You just an old man.
You crazy! You know that? You just a crazy old man… talking about I got the devil in me. You
took Uncle Gabe’s money he got from the army to buy this house and then you put him out.
Come on… put me out! I am not scared of you. Come on! Come on… put me out! Come on!
Come on!

Wes Bentley: “Do you want to see the most beautiful thing I’ve ever filmed? It was one of those
days when it’s a minute away from snowing, and there’s this electricity in the air, you can
almost hear it. And this bag was just, dancing with me, like a little kid beggin’ me to play with it
– for fifteen minutes. And that’s the day I realized that there was this entire life behind things,
and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know that there was no reason to be
afraid, ever. Video’s a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember – I need to remember.
Sometimes, there’s so much beauty in the world – I feel like I can’t take it, like my heart is just
going to cave in.” (American Besuty)

CASSANDRA: You act different. Whenever we are all hanging out, you put on this macho man
type act. You don’t act like you when you’re in front of your friends. I don’t like it. Why do you
do that?

(beat)

You do! You do! You are so sweet and kind to me when we are alone together but as soon as
we are chilling out with your boys, you treat me different. You tease me like you’re mocking
me. Just be you from now on because you make me feel like what we have together is a lie
when you treat me like you don’t even care about me, in front of your friends.

Okay???
Ms. G?
Can I read something from my diary?
This summer was the worst summer in my short 14 years of life.
It all started with a phone call.
My mother was crying and begging, asking for more time as if she were gasping for her
last breath of air.
She held me as tight as she could and cried. Her tears hit my shirt like bullets and told me
we were being evicted. She kept apologizing to me.
I thought, ‘I have no home. ‘I should have asked for something less expensive at
Christmas.’
On the morning of the eviction, a hard knock on the door woke me up. The sheriff was
there to do his job.
I looked up at the sky, waiting for something to happen.
My mother has no family to lean on, no money coming in. Why bother coming to school
or getting good grades if I’m homeless?
The bus stops in front of the school.
I feel like throwing up. I’m wearing clothes from last year, some old shoes and no new
haircut. I kept thinking I’d get laughed at.
Instead, I’m greeted by a couple of friends who were in my English class last year. And it
hits me, Mrs. Gruwell, my crazy English teacher from last year, is the only person that
made me think of hope.
Talking with friends about last year’s English and our trips, I began to feel better.
I receive my schedule and the first teacher is Mrs. Gruwell in Room 203. I walk into the
room and feel as though all the problems in life are not so important anymore.