Third Marking Period Pages 95- 113.

Summary

When Melinda misses the bus for school and is forced to walk, she begins to head to school but stops for a snack at Fayette's. Just as she was about to head in she was confronted by Andy Evans. She ran off as fast as she could and decides not to go to school. She makes her way to the mall to warm up; she spends the rest of her day waiting for school to end so she can head home. In English, they are reading Nathaniel Hawthorne, her teacher tells the class to focus on symbolism. Rachel stands up and asks why they are learning about symbolism and that maybe Nathaniel was just writing a book and not incorporating symbolism. At lunch, Heather tells Melinda that they can no longer be friends because they are two different people. When Heather get's up to throw away trash, she then sits with her Martha friends. On Valentine's Day, Melinda finds a valentine on her locker. She is afraid it is a joke and ends up by not opening it. In biology, Melinda begins to think that David was the one who put the valentine on her locker. After, she makes her way to her locker to see if it was David who wrote the valentine. It was Heather, saying she's happy Melinda understood; in the valentine was the friendship bracelet Melinda gave to Heather. While walking home, Melinda goes to the hospital and wonders until she has no where else to go, then she waits for the bus.

Analysis

She new school mascot is a hornet, Melinda says she is allergic to hornets. When she sees Andy Evans and he tries to talk to her, she runs off as fast as she can and spends the rest of the day avoiding school. In the mall, when the security comes and doesn't ask her if she's lost or OK, she says that she wishes she was in 5th grade again, innocent and looked after. Also, Melinda begins to cherish her and Heather's friendship when Heather no longer wants to be friends with her. Heather says that she doesn't like to do anything and they are nothing alike. Melinda is now in desperate need of a friend. Melinda and David are getting increasingly close, and on Valentine's Day when there is a Valentine left on Melinda's locker, she begins to think it is his. She finds out it is Heather's "no longer friends" valentine and Heather gives back their friendship bracelet. Melinda says she wishes that somebody liked her and didn't think she was weird. In the hospital, Melinda encounters many sick people. She wishes to be in a hospital bed, but when she sees somebody come in hurt; she feels bad for her thought and then leaves.