The Prom Quotes

“BEHOLD THE FIELD IN WHICH I GROW MY F*CKS, LAY THINE EYES UPON IT AND SEE THAT IT IS BARREN.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“I don’t want to start a riot I don’t want to blaze a trail”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“us.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“We did it,” Barry says, so quiet it’s almost a whisper. Then he leaps up and shouts into the other room. “Dee Dee! Non-equity cast of Godspell! We did it! Emma’s going to the prom!”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“Es más de lo que nunca me atreví a desear; es algo épico, donde hay lugar para todo el mundo.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“The explosion of music didn’t startle me, but hands suddenly around my waist from behind do. Relieved, I sink back against Emma to anchor myself and look over my shoulder. “You’re not supposed to be here,” I tease. “It’s bad luck to see the prom before prom night.” She presses a kiss to my neck and hugs me close. “I promise, I’m not looking. But I don’t need to see it to know that everything looks fantastic.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“A kiss is yes,” Alyssa warns me. Warning taken. That’s why I engulf her in my arms and lift her off the ground, just an inch, and kiss her until we see nothing but the two of us, the edge of forever, and the end of the world.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“Well,” she says, shyly, a little coyly, “there’s this prom coming up . . .” Fireflies light up inside me. “Uh-huh.” A question doesn’t come; she doesn’t even finish that sentence. Instead, Alyssa, with her reedy voice and uncertain smile, sings to me, “I just want to dance with you, let the whole world melt away and dance with you . . .”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“This is the girl who flirted with me at a church picnic. The girl who texted me pictures of otters in the middle of the night and whispered love in my ear. This is the girl who was brave enough to kiss me first, when I was still desperately trying to figure out if she liked me or if she liked me.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“It hits me in a sudden wave. In a crashing of thunder. I wobble on unsteady legs, gathering my senses and my balance at the same time. My mom knows. The secret is out. No more lying, no more pretending. From here on out, when she looks at me, she’ll see who I really am. She doesn’t have the words yet, but she knows. And—somehow, improbably—she still loves me.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“I see her fighting to keep it together. To look perfect, be perfect. She fights for a smile and whispers at me again. “Alyssa, that’s quite enough.” Shaking my head, I say, “No. I’ve put this off for way too long. And I’ve hurt someone so precious to me, in a way I can’t ever expect her to forgive. I was Emma Nolan’s date to the prom, Mom. We were supposed to go together, and I let her down.” Now my mother starts to cry. “Stop it. Just stop it. Alyssa, I’m sorry, but this is not who you really are. Whatever you’re feeling, it’s not real. You’re young and you’re confused.” “I’m not confused. I’m in love.” Mom stamps at the ground, jabbing an accusing finger at Mr. Glickman and Ms. Allen. “This is their fault. They’re putting ideas into your head, and they’re forcing me to be someone I don’t want to be. You are young, you are impressionable, and I’m sick of this. This ends now.” For the first time since my mother appeared, Mr. Glickman speaks. “If you don’t let her be who she is, you’re going to lose her.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“Mom, I love you. And I’m so grateful to you, for all you do for me. For all you’ve done for me since Dad left.” “Alyssa!” she whispers, scandalized. I’ve spoken it aloud, the truth we don’t discuss. But I go on. “And I know this is going to be another thing that’s hard on you. But, Mom, I’m gay. I’ve always been gay. And to answer the questions I know you want to ask, nobody did this to me. Nobody hurt me. You didn’t do anything wrong. This is who I am; I’m proud of who I am. You know everything about me, and it’s been so hard keeping this from you. Too hard. I can’t do it anymore. Mom, I’m gay.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“I let go of my guilt—because I’m not a perfect daughter. I let go of my fear—because I can’t change who I am, and she’s going to find out sooner or later. And I let go of my responsibility—I’m the kid here. She’s the parent. It’s not my job to take care of her; she’s supposed to take care of me.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“Deep inside, I almost wish that somebody would walk by and call me a name. Because that? That would be normal. I expect that, not kindness.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“I’m not the perfect student, I’m not the perfect daughter, and I’m definitely not the perfect girlfriend.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“She never once outed me. She never told anyone that her girlfriend went to the other prom. That her girlfriend’s mother is the reason this all got started and ended up so out of hand. She never blamed me; she never named me. She never even mentioned that we agreed to go together and I backed out on her. All this time, she’s been protecting me, and I didn’t even see it until now. And then, she plays. The silent chords suddenly have voice, and she sings words that she said to me what seems like a million years ago.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“I mentioned a while back that I am the worst person in the world, and the last two days have done nothing to change my opinion on that.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“She backs out, and as her car moves farther and farther away from me, all I want to do is scream and scream, until my voice shears into ribbons and disappears completely. I have done nothing but achieve, jump through hoops, and put on smiles. And it’s not enough. The blue ribbons and first-place trophies, my extracurriculars and my Sunday school class—I have done every single thing my mother wanted . . . for nothing. Because she’s never going to stop wanting me to be perfect Alyssa Greene, and I’m never going to actually be her. Never. Slumping against the hood of my car, I cover my face with my hands and start to cry. The one thing that was mine, the one beautiful thing that I chose, that made me feel whole and human and alive, just drove away. And I let her.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“No, I don’t.” Her voice has no edge to it; it’s defeated. “I’ve had a lot of time to think, and I’m like . . . maybe I’m just an experiment to you. Or maybe you’re trying to piss off your mom, I don’t know.” Stung, I step back. “An experiment? What else, Emma? Are you wondering if this is just a phase?” Emma’s eyes flash. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.” “It’s what you said.” I let go of her.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“\We’re told to hide this beautiful part of ourselves, the falling-in-love part, the dizzy infatuation part.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“She’s been using her mom as the reason she can’t come out for months, and suddenly I realize, it’s not a reason. It’s an excuse. Yeah, her mom is obviously a bigot and a homophobe, but it looks like Alyssa’s carrying some of that on her own.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“I back away from her, because I don’t know this woman. This calculating, manipulative person masquerading as my mother is terrifying. She stepped right out of Game of Thrones and into Game of Proms. And she won. I have to get away from Elena Lannister Greene. If I look at her for one more second, I’m honestly afraid I might throw up.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“You don’t want to be a messiah,” Shelby adds. Jaw dropped, I hear myself correcting Shelby instead of processing what they’ve just said. “You mean pariah.” Cheerfully, Shelby links arms with Kaylee and shrugs. “Whatever. It’s prom. It’s our night. Let’s go and have fun!” “No, wait,” I say sharply, staying them with a hand. “What do you mean you know?” Kaylee rolls her eyes. Her thick, spider-leg lashes flutter as she shakes her head. “Anna Kendrick and John Cho? Two mysterious dates from other schools, one for the town lesbo and one for the student council president who thinks she’s subtle when she holds her hand in public? I mean, come on.” “Plus, you’re always standing up for her,” Shelby notes casually. “And you let those weirdos from New York come to our meeting. It’s kind of obvious.” “Why didn’t you say anything?” I ask, feeling faint and slightly sick.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“Somehow, I end up in a cloud of my mother’s hugs. I hold on for so long; I don’t want to let go. I know what happens next, and I want this moment—when she still loves me—to linger just a little longer. These are the arms that taught me to ride a bike, and comforted me when I had nightmares. These are the arms that lifted me up when I fell, and pushed me toward things I wanted but wasn’t quite brave enough to grasp on my own. One last time, I gather my strength in her embrace. Mom pulls away, swiping at her eyes. “You’re the most beautiful girl in the world.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“Call me selfish; maybe I am selfish. But I’m selfish and afraid. I’ve done the research. Forty percent of homeless teens are queer. A quarter of queer kids get kicked out when they come out. It’s a long, long summer before college starts in the fall. I mean, at least I have a car. The title’s in my name. She can’t take that from me. Wow. That’s my silver lining. I have a car I can live in when my mother inevitably kicks me out. Because I know, in my heart, that Mom didn’t soften up about the gay issue and prom. She changed her mind because she didn’t want me to miss my prom. And, based on the increasingly desperate hammering on the bathroom door, I’m about to miss it anyway.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“my being a lesbian still wouldn’t be okay with her. She doesn’t even have the vocabulary to understand who I am. In her world, in her mind, there’s gay and there’s normal. And that means, if I’m not straight, I’m not normal.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“My mom’s not going to pleasantly surprise me with her reaction. I know her. I know how this goes. At night, when I put my hands together and try to think of something to pray for that isn’t selfish, I ask for peace of mind for my mom. For acceptance. Or even tolerance. I sit with this huge secret, praying for divine intervention, because I know I haven’t misjudged her.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“I rub my cheek against her hair and squeeze until I feel her exhale a breath. It’s not right that something this good, this perfect, can cause so much trouble.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“I’m dizzy for a moment. She makes me dizzy.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical

“Throwing my arms around her, I kiss her. I kiss her hard and fast; I kiss her softly. I kiss her until our lips are sticky and my windows are fogged. She tastes like bubble gum and electricity, a sweet summer storm that rolls through me and rumbles on and on.”
― Saundra Mitchell, The Prom: A Novel Based on the Hit Broadway Musical