"You know why salt works on slugs? Because is dissolves in the water that's part of the slug's skin, so the water in its body starts to flow out. The slug dehydrates. This works with snails, too. And with leeches. And with people like me.
With any creature, really, too thin-skinned to stand up for itself."
-Peter Houghton
Another character that played a very big role in the book is Josie Cormier. Josie was looked at by her peers as the most popular girl, dating the cutest boy in the school. She was seen as extremely happy, and perfect at just about everything. Josie had the life that almost every girl in Sterling High would give an arm for. One thing no one knew was Josie's true side, and who she really was. "But there was a part of her that wondered what would happen if she let them all in on the secret- that some mornings, it was hard to get out of bed and put on someone else's smile; that she was standing on air, a fake who laughed at all the right jokes and whispered all the right gossip and attracted the right guy, a fake who had nearly forgotten what it felt like to be real... and who, when you got right down to it, didn't want to remember, because it hurt even more than this." Josie had no one to talk to about her real self and how she really felt, which was slowing, but surly making the pain worse each day. Everyone, including Matt, had fallen in love with what was on the outside, rather than the inside. Alex, Josie's mother who was a judge, was never home because she was always at the court house. Alex, never really tried to become close to Josie, which made Josie feel like her own mom doesn't even care. Josie felt like, because she always had to act so perfect, that no one really ever cared. "It had taken Josie nearly six months to inconspicuously gather only fifteen pills, but she figured if she washed them down with a fifth of vodka, it would do the trick." This quote fits along with Josie feeling like no one cares about her, because it's making her think about suicide, and taking the pain away. Josie is so over whelmed by having no one who truly loves her for her, that she thinking of the easy way out of life.
When Josie was little, she became very close friends with Peter, and they were inseparable. As school started, Peter began receiving his torture sprees by his classmates. As a little kid, and a best friend, Josie took action and defended Peter as much as she could. As each of them started drifting away eventually, they began talking to new people. One day, when Josie's friends convinced her how horrible and dumb Peter is, Josie told Peter she didn't think they could continue being friends. Years later, while both of them were in Sterling High, Peter was still receiving his beating from his bullies, and Josie continued to hangout with the same group of friends as middle school, and that's how she gained her popularity. Granted, Peter wasn't the only one who was unhappy most of the time- Josie knew all her friends were fake, and her life was ran by fake smiles and pretending to be happy. Josie believed her popularity was something she couldn't afford to lose, and if she did, she would be considered a loser, which is the worst thing that could happen to her. If she became a loser, it meant that she would become Peter, and that was something no one wanted to be. "Like if you take one wrong step," she said, "you're going to fall." This quote shows how Josie has so much riding on her, and so many people looking up to her, she can't ever be seen out of place. This helps explain how Josie feels about being so popular, and how fragile her popularity is.
When Josie was little, she became very close friends with Peter, and they were inseparable. As school started, Peter began receiving his torture sprees by his classmates. As a little kid, and a best friend, Josie took action and defended Peter as much as she could. As each of them started drifting away eventually, they began talking to new people. One day, when Josie's friends convinced her how horrible and dumb Peter is, Josie told Peter she didn't think they could continue being friends. Years later, while both of them were in Sterling High, Peter was still receiving his beating from his bullies, and Josie continued to hangout with the same group of friends as middle school, and that's how she gained her popularity. Granted, Peter wasn't the only one who was unhappy most of the time- Josie knew all her friends were fake, and her life was ran by fake smiles and pretending to be happy. Josie believed her popularity was something she couldn't afford to lose, and if she did, she would be considered a loser, which is the worst thing that could happen to her. If she became a loser, it meant that she would become Peter, and that was something no one wanted to be. "Like if you take one wrong step," she said, "you're going to fall." This quote shows how Josie has so much riding on her, and so many people looking up to her, she can't ever be seen out of place. This helps explain how Josie feels about being so popular, and how fragile her popularity is.
"You don't stop being a judge when you step out of the courthouse." -Alex Cormier
Another character who plays a major role in Nineteen Minutes is Alex Cormier, Josie's mother. Alex who’s a single mother is seen trying to raise Josie the best she possibly can but she isn't to sure about the job she is doing. After the shooting, Alex tries to protect her daughter and shield her from her fears of the after math. Alex also works as a judge. She has a fair heart and tries to do what’s right but "You don't stop being a judge when you step out of the courthouse" -Alex Cormier. She knows judging in a moral sense is not right, but she knows she judges anyways. When Alex is first seen with Josie when she was born, her midwife was Lacy Houghton, Peter's mother. Lacy and Alex and Peter and Josie were best friends until one day Alex found Peter and Josie playing with guns in the Houghton basement. After that these friendships started to break apart. Alex is a persistent mother who believes she knows what’s best for her daughter but she always appears to be jealous of Josie too. They both are constantly jealous of each other. Alex wants the life that Josie had, a wonderful boyfriend, popularity & good looks however Josie is jealous of her mother’s status as prestige judge, her freedom, and of her mothers boyfriend after the shooting. "But not as crazy as she is for you. She's happy. She's happy and I...I know I should he happy for her..." -Josie Cormier. After the shooting Josie seems to be most jealous of the fact that Alex is finally starting to be happy since she now has Patrick and Josie no longer has Matt. The jealousy between Alex & Josie constantly battles back and forth in Nineteen Minutes. What one has the other wants.