The Difference Between You and Me

THE
DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN
YOU
AND
ME

THE
DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN

madeleine george

An Imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

viking

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First published in 2012 by Viking, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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Copyright © Madeleine George, 2012
All rights reserved

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
George, Madeleine.
The difference between you and me / by Madeleine George.
p. cm.
Summary: School outsider Jesse, a lesbian, is having secret trysts with Emily, the popular student council vice president, but when they find themselves on opposite sides of a major issue and Jesse becomes more involved with a student activist, they are forced to make a difficult decision.

ISBN: 978-1-101-56701-2

[1. Lesbians—Fiction. 2. Protest movements—Fiction. 3. High schools—Fiction.

4. Schools—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.G293346Di 2012      [Fic]—dc23       2011012192

Printed in U.S.A.     Set in Century Light

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

THE NOLAW MANIFESTO

Demanding

JUSTICE NOW!

for All

Weirdos, Freaks,

Queer Kids, Revolutionaries,

Nerds, Dweebs,

Misfits, Loudmouths,

Rapunzels Trapped in Their Towers,

Trolls Trapped under Their Bridges,

Animals Abused by Their Masters,

DETENTIONITES,

Monsters,

and Saints.

By the

National Organization to Liberate All Weirdos,

or

Point I.

NORMALCY IS DEATH!

Point II.

Weirdness Is Life!

Point III.

Weirdos must
COME OUT!
The more weirdos who
COME OUT!
as weird, queer, freakish, nerdy, dweeby, loudmouthed, or otherwise unfit for quote unquote “normal society,” the closer we will come to
TEARING DOWN
quote unquote “normal society” and replacing it with a beautiful
KINGDOM OF WEIRDNESS
in which all Weirdos will be free to express every part of themselves in every part of school or the bus or work or church or temple or mosque or wherever it is they want to go. The
KINGDOM OF WEIRDNESS
will be a paradise of freedom on earth in which joy and happiness and clean forests and other unbesmirched kinds of nature reign and no one judges anyone else and eventually everyone will see how
VASTLY SUPERIOR
Weirdness is to quote unquote “normalcy” and quote unquote “normalcy” will wither away.

Point IV.

Judgmental People SUCK!

Point V.

Even before the Dawn of the new
KINGDOM OF WEIRDNESS
, Weirdos, Freaks, and Queers must
DEMAND JUSTICE!
We
must
DEMAND
to be recognized as Legitimate by quote unquote “normal society.” We must make “Yeah? So what?” our total slogan. We must say it a thousand times a day until quote unquote “normal society” shrugs their shoulders at us and stops trying to make us Conform to their Strangulating Laws and Conventionalisms. We must
DEMAND
that they Leave Us Alone even if they don’t grant us full human rights.

Point VI.

We Demand

for all Weirdos, Freaks, Queers, Other Oppressed People et cetera!!!

FULL HUMAN RIGHTS INCLUDE:

The right to wear WHATEVER CLOTHES WE WANT, WHENEVER WE WANT TO WEAR THEM.

The right to
MAKE OUT
with
WHOMEVER WE WANT
TO regardless of RACE, COLOR, CREED, CLASS, NEIGHBORHOOD OF ORIGIN,
EXTRACURRICULAR AFFILIATION
, or
GENDER
.

The right to use WHICHEVER BATHROOM WE FEEL LIKE USING and not to have to hold it until we can sneak into the one faculty bathroom that is not possibly full of abusive idiots waiting to
ABUSE AND INSULT US FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON!!!