Gabi, a Girl in Pieces

Gabi worries about Sebastian’s safety when he goes on a date with Pedro, a boy from his Spanish class. Gabi is “both happy and worried” because she knows people could harass the two boys for holding hands in public, or they could even be beaten (48). Sebastian spends the night at Gabi’s and shares details of his date and his new boyfriend. His mother is speaking to him again and he’s enjoying living with his aunt, although his father “is still really angry and doesn’t want to see him” (51).

Gabi experiences her own romantic thrill when she encounters Eric in the hallway and impulsively kisses him. She is shocked at her own assertiveness, and so are her friends when she tells them what happened. Eric responds by asking Gabi to be his girlfriend the next time he sees her at school, to which she quickly agrees.

Things continue looking up when Gabi’s father announces his intention to be sober. Although he’s made this promise before and let the family down, Gabi thinks this time feels different. She writes a third letter to her father expressing hope that he’ll stay sober this time. With so much going on in her personal life, Gabi confesses on October 21 that “school didn’t really matter today” (62). Cindy and Sebastian try to be supportive because they know what Gabi is going through at home, but Gabi doesn’t share the details of her father’s addiction with Eric because she’s not yet sure she can trust him with such a personal matter.

Gabi begins to feel smothered in her relationship with Eric and expresses her thoughts in a letter exploring questions of liking versus loving him. Sebastian is staying at Gabi’s home again after getting caught with his boyfriend at his aunt’s house. Gabi’s interest for poetry intensifies when she discovers “superpoets” from her own generation who write in both English and Spanish (67). She shares a poem about her grandfather’s death with her class that catches the attention of her classmate Martin. Gabi realizes she has a crush on Martin, which initiates a series of self-questioning as she wonders whether having a crush on both Eric and Martin might make her wicked or even “a slut” (72). Gabi’s curiosity about sex continues to grow and she asks Cindy what sex was like. Cindy confesses that it wasn’t what she had imagined her first time would be like, that it was “mostly uncomfortable” (75).

Gabi and Cindy are both working on college applications as the fall progresses. Gabi is proud of Cindy for sticking to their plan to go to college even though Cindy is well into her second trimester. Gabi continues struggling with her uncertain feelings for Eric and her growing crush on Martin. By mid-November, Gabi’s father is no longer sober and Beto is arrested for tagging. Gabi’s mother unhappily announces that she is pregnant, to which Gabi responds, “Can my life get any more complicated?” (81). Gabi now wonders if she’ll need to get a job just to help support the new baby.