Second Marking Period Pages 65- 92.

Summary

David now has a tape recorder for history class to record anything that happens with Mr. Neck mistreating him; Mr. Neck glares at David the whole class. Heather convinces Melinda to go to the Winter Assembly when the Heathers do not invite her to sit with them. Heather gives Melinda earrings for Christmas and Melinda plans on giving Heather a friendship bracelet. During Christmas, after her parents give her Christmas presents; Melinda wanted to tell her parents what had happened. Before she was able to get enough courage to tell them, they had left the room. Also, during winter break Melinda goes to work with both her mother and her father. She understands her mother's hard work but thinks her father's job is easy. While closing envelopes, "IT's" face pops up in her head, she cuts her tongue on an envelope but continues to work; her father gets angry that she had gotten blood on the envelopes. When she goes back to school, they are playing basketball in gym. Melinda is excellent at free throws and the coach shows interest in her. Nicole joins in and says that Melinda should join the team. Due to her grades, she is not allowed to play. However, the coach has her teach "basketball pole", who spilled potatoes on her the first day of school, to shoot free throws. Heather leaves a note in Melinda's locker, begging for help in a Martha's project again. Now she has to make posters for a canned food drive. Before Melinda was able to say no, Heather thanked her for volunteering to help. While dissecting frogs in Biology, Melinda passes out. Later, Heather lands a modeling job at a department store. Melinda suspects that it has something to do with Heather's dad working at the mall. While hanging posters up for Heather, Melinda sees "IT". "IT" whispers "Freshmeat", to Melinda. She then runs off leaving the tape behind. Melinda has a meeting with her parents, her guidance councilor, and the principal about her grades. She doesn't speak much and her parents blame the school for Melinda's bad attitude and grades. At lunch, the Marthas yell at Heather over the posters, they say that a five year old could of made them. They give Heather a tray of empty food and she gets up without sticking up for herself or Melinda. Andy Evans walks in and the Marthas are excited about his entrance; Andy Evans is "IT". They talk about rumors of him sleeping with anything before he comes to their table. He stands right over Melinda until she runs to the bathroom. Heather does not come looking for her. Mr. Freeman gets in trouble by the principal for faulty paper work. He looks sad and depressed during art class.

Analysis

Melinda is getting closer to David, she envies him for sticking up for himself to Mr. Neck. Melinda is seeing "IT", more and more. She sees him while helping put posters up for Heather and sees him talking to the Marthas. Heather is becoming increasingly distant from Melinda and closer to the Marthas. When she runs off to the bathroom, Heather doesn't check on her.

Second Marking Period Pages 49-65.

Summary

Melinda's parents are making her stay after school for help. She spends most of her time in her closet, renovating it. (Its getting harder to talk, throat opens with heather, cant talk to teacher or parents) (closet good, helps hold thoughts inside her head) In history, Mr. Neck challenges the class to debate immigration rights because Mr. Neck's son lost a job to an immigrant. Some students get angry because they have family who had immigrated. A brave student, David Petrakis stands up for his side. When he tries to argue against Mr. Neck, Mr. Neck tells David to stop talking. This angers David because he didn't get his right to debate. Mr. Neck says he can go to the principals office or sit down; David gets up and heads to the principals office. On Thanksgiving, Melinda's mom is on the phone and forgets to thaw the turkey. She quickly takes it out and tried everything to thaw it. Due to emergencies, she leaves for work. Melinda's father tries to fix the turkey by making turkey soup. It doesn't come out good so they order out pizza, Melinda keeps the bones for art. Melinda makes a sculpture with the turkey bones. She stays after to finish it and Ivy is in the room with her. Ivy compliments Melinda's art work.

Analysis

Melinda's refuge is the faculty closet; she sets up posters and makes it feel comfortable. Melinda says it's getting harder to talk and can only talk to Heather when they are alone or else she freezes with teachers and her parents. David sticks up for his rights and this intrigues Melinda. On Thanksgiving, Melinda's family doesn't make a big dinner. Her mother leaves and the turkey is trash. However, Melinda saves the bones and makes art work with it; which Ivy, her ex-friend, compliments.

First Marking Period Pages 24- 46

Summary

When Mr. Neck tried to chase down Melinda in the cafeteria for a missing assignment, she runs through the senior wing and finds an empty janitors closest; she clams it as a hangout. Later, Melinda plans on skipping out of the pep rally, but is caught by Heather before she can escape. During the pep rally, a few girls ask if she was the one who called the police at Kyle Rodger's party; Melinda freezes as the faded memory comes back to light. She tries to ignore the girls but as the pep rally starts, one of them pulls her hair. As it ends, she is accidentally knocked down three rows of bleachers. On Columbus day, Melinda goes to Heather's house because they don't have school. They discuss joining school clubs, activities, and social groups. Melinda rejects all of Heather's ideas; Heather breaks into tears and asks why it is so hard to make friends at Merryweather. Melinda leaves without saying goodbye. At dinner, Melinda's parents discuss her falling grades with her. Melinda doesn't speak much and ignores them. In algebra, Melinda's teacher calls on her to the board to solve a math problem. When she cannot answer the problem he calls Rachel to help Melinda. When they are done, they go to sit down awkwardly as the laugh giggles. In Spanish, the class learns that "linda" means "pretty", the class proceeds to call Melinda, "No-me-linda". The Marthas give Heather her first job, to help decorate the faculty lounge for Thanksgiving. Heather asks Melinda to help and she agrees to. As the Martha's come to see Heather's work, Melinda leaves. The Marthas comment to Heather about Melinda being creepy. Melinda has a nightmare about "IT". "IT" is walking through the halls and winks at Melinda.

Analysis

Melinda fins her own hiding spot in an old faculty closet. She says that the closet it abandoned, with no purpose or name; Melinda then says it's perfect for her. At the pep rally, Melinda experiences her first real memory from the night at the party. Two girls harass her over calling the police, one says her brother was arrested because of her. She thinks about the cheerleaders and how they always get their way. Also, she bets that they never screwed up. At Heather's, Melinda refuses to join any clubs or groups. Heather cries and sobs that no one is accepting at Merryweather High School; Melinda leaves. Melinda never looks or talks to her parents when they talk to her about her horrible grades; this upsets them. Melinda is made fun of by the Marthas as she leaves from helping Heather with her project, she runs and cries in the bathroom. Then, she has a dream about "IT", walking down the hallway with a cheerleader, blinking at Melinda.

First Marking Period; Pages 1-24.

Summery

Melinda begins her first day at Merryweather High School, she is unsure who to sit with when she enters the auditorium because she had lost all her friends over the summer. She looks and sees Rachel who mouths, "I hate you". Melinda meets Mr. Neck, a jock teacher, who already makes a bad impression on her when he tells her to sit. She turns and meets Heather, a new student from Ohio. After leaving the auditorium, Melinda heads to her classes and meets her teachers. Her English teacher; a quiet, unspoken lady, is given the nick name "Hairwoman" by Melinda because her frizzy unmanaged hair. Mr. Neck is her social studies teacher, who tells Melinda "I got my eye on you", and sends her to the front row. At lunch, Melinda searches for a friend to sit with. While heading over to Heather, a tall student she calls "Basketball Pole" runs into her and potatoes fall on her clothes. Melinda tries to run out in embarrassment but Mr. Neck stops her. Melinda goes to art class after lunch and meets her teacher, Mr. Freeman. She sees Ivy, and ex-friend but doesn't talk to her. Mr. Freeman has her pull out a word out of a globe which she will have to focus on in art all year, she pulls out "tree". Next, Melinda goes to Spanish. Her teacher says they will go through the entire year without speaking in English; she imitates actions as she speaks in Spanish. We meet Nicole when Melinda goes to gym class, Nicole is an ex-friend of Melinda. She is good at every sport and popular amongst the students and faculty. After school one day, Melinda goes to Heather's house. Heather tries to convince Melinda to join a school club with her. Melinda refuses and says that the clubs are stupid.

Analysis

Melinda's first day of high school without anyone to sit with on the bus, she is an outcast. Her throat burns to tell Rachel her secret but no words come out and Rachel mouths, "I hate you". Her English teacher is shy and no one sees her face very well due to her hair covering it. In art, she pulls out a word that she will have to revolve around in art; her word is art, Melinda can't draw trees. At home, there is no communication. The greatest form Melinda's family has is leaving notes on the kitchen counter. When Melinda goes to bed that night, she took down the mirror and put it in the back of the closet. We learn that Melinda feels uncomfortable changing in front of anyone before gym.

Character List

Melinda: Enters high school as a loner, all her friends from middle school has separated into different social groups and ignore or snare at Melinda. She is shy and socially awkward. Melinda has a secret that she has not told anyone about the previous summer. All the students at her high school dislike her for the incident in the summer when she called the police at a party.

Heather: She is a new student from Ohio; Heather is free-spirited and socially active around the school. She displays her school spirit and desires to fit in with a social group. Heather is Melinda's only and first friend at Merryweather High School

Rachel: Or Rachelle is an ex-friend of Melinda. Since she had ended her friendship with Melinda, she turned to an artsy social group. She embraces foreign languages and groups around with foreign exchange students.

Ivy: Melinda's ex-friend. She is in Melinda's art class; also, she is artsy.

Nicole: An ex-friend of Melinda. She is great in every sport, and all the gym teachers love her. She turned to a jock social group since breaking off from Melinda. Nicole is friendly, likable and wanted.

David Petrakis: Melinda's science lab partner. He is extremely smart; he sticks up for himself when Mr. Neck get's a debate going on about immigration restrictions.

Mr. Freeman: Melinda's art teacher, considered the "cool teacher" of Merryweather High School; helps Melinda throughout her freshmen year.

Mr. Neck: He is a jock, buzz cut teacher and coach at Merryweather High School. Mr. Neck is stern, stolid, and does not put up with any misbehavior. He teaches Melinda's social studies class.

Principal Principal: The principal of Merryweather High School, and also an extreme pushover.