Monday asked Claudia which boy she liked as they sat in the library after school, watching Monday’s little brother, August. Claudia insisted there were no boys she liked. Monday gently teased her about being gay. Claudia came up with a lie, inventing an older boy she claimed to have a crush on.

Boy crazy, Monday had a crush on Jacob Miller, “hands down the finest boy in our school. Been fine forever. Every girl liked him and he knew it, which made his cockiness ugly to me” (60). She wanted to be with him in high school next year and wanted Claudia to find a boyfriend, too, so they could double date.

Monday checked over Claudia’s English homework and lost her temper over it. She told Claudia she needed to do better if she wanted to get into the good high school with Monday. Monday rewrote Claudia’s paper for her. 

August came back to their corner, his hair tousled. Monday disciplined and cared for him like her own child, which she found exhausting. She fixed his hair, and Claudia told her she should charge others to do their hair. Especially the boys.

The next day, Claudia marched straight up to the boys at school, including Jacob, and offered to do their hair for seven dollars each.