"You are the protagonist in the book that is your life," she replied, standing her ground, even as she kept her voice soft and quiet. She knew something was behind his words, but she couldn't tell what, and it put her at a disadvantage that she was mentally trying to rebound from, but without the root of his words, it was a challenge. Somehow, she knew quoting something would probably be a very bad idea.
"... and I still want you to win," she finally said with a defensively stubborn tilt of her chin.