It's hard, after all, to be friends with someone who outshines you at every turn.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: At the start of the novel, June introduces Athena by explaining all of the reasons why she is unlikable. In this moment, however, June's claims about Athena lose credibility. Indeed, she is revealing the heart of her disdain for her college friend: she is jealous of her. In admitting to wanting what Athena has, June is also foreshadowing what she will soon do to advance her career and in turn to outshine her late friend.

I'm living Athena's life.
-- Narrator (chapter 2)

Importance: Almost immediately after watching Athena choke to death on her pancakes, June steals her friend's unpublished manuscript and flees her apartment. Just three weeks later, June has not only toyed with and manipulated Athena's pages, but submitted them to her literary agent and received a book deal with Eden Press. Instead of feeling guilty, June basks...