“Dad’s return and promise to make up lost time to the family. Grandma’s sad death in her sleep early in the summer. The sudden announcement of Mom’s pregnancy.”

References are made throughout the early chapters to the tumultuousness of Jamee’s home life and the possible connections to her poor academic performance. This quote lists the many major changes that have happened in the Wills home and provide context for why Jamee may have struggled. It also provides a foundation for her feeling of insignificance in her family, as it shows the many serious issues that distract the family from Jamee.

“Jamee sometimes felt as if she had become invisible. Cheerleading was an anchor that stopped that. It was hers, not Darcy’s. It was stable, not changing. She looked forward to it like an old friend.”

Cheerleading functions as a symbol of freedom and self-expression for Jamee. Here, the novel explains why it is important to her: It is not tainted by Darcy’s accomplishments, and it is not chaotic like her home environment. Her reference to invisibility reflects the difficulty she is having getting support and recognition from her family.

“If I hear that again, the person who says it will be asked to leave and not be permitted to audition at all […] On this squad, we treat each other with respect. You hear me?”

Coach Seville’s warning to the girls about bullying or mocking each other provides the foundation for Jamee’s plan in the final chapter of the book. This quote establishes that the squad is supposed to be a safe space for cheerleaders. Vanessa’s actions are thus contrary to the ethics of the team, and ultimately it is Coach Seville’s expectations of teamwork and kindness that will put an end to Vanessa’s bullying behavior.

“But this time, Jamee noticed that Angel didn’t join in. Instead, the skinny girl stared at her shoes as if she had never seen them before.”

Angel’s early response to the bullying is to make herself smaller and try to avoid drawing attention to herself. This marks the starting point of her arc, characterizing her as shy and passive, unlikely to defend herself. That Jamee takes the time to notice this also shows how she is more in-tune with the feelings of others and the way those feelings outwardly manifest, unlike the bullies, who don’t care about the impact of their behavior.

“The older girls laughed and Tasha beamed with pride.”

Tasha joins in when the older girls make fun of Angel, calling her an ableist slur and mocking her voice. Her meanness meets with the approval of the other girls, exhibiting the effects of Social Pressure and Conformity. Tasha’s “pride” shows one choice that Jamee could make with the bullies: join in to be included rather than a target.

“Jamee knew if she remained quiet, Angel would think she was just like Vanessa and the rest of her mean friends. Jamee didn’t want that. And yet if she stood up for Angel, Jamee knew she could get into trouble. Vanessa and her friends might turn on her. That was the last thing she needed: a bunch of upperclass girls as enemies. Still, she couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.”

Jamee’s integrity and courage is a defining aspect of her character. In this passage, she is seen weighing the consequences of her actions. Even knowing that she may become a target for Vanessa—whose meanness she has now seen firsthand—she cannot stand by and watch someone be targeted. This establishes Jamee’s moral compass and willingness to help others even at her own expense.

“Her eyes flicked over Jamee. ‘You can come, too, Jamie.’ She then smiled at Dez as if she knew something Jamee didn’t. ‘Unless you guys have other plans…’”

This is the first hint at Jamee’s ‘reputation’ as promiscuous. Vanessa’s hinting at “other plans” is meant to imply that Jamee and Dez plan to have sex. Jamee, who hasn’t yet realized she has this reputation, does not understand Vanessa’s suggestive statement. This is an example of how Vanessa uses Prejudice as a Tool in Bullying, here displaying misogyny to demean a fellow girl for her possible sexual behavior.

“‘That’s all organic vegetables. Mushrooms, eggplant, and squash,’ Aunt Charlotte boasted several times since they sat down. ‘I know you probably don’t get good produce where you live, so I figured I’d get some for you.’”

Aunt Charlotte subtly but pointedly highlights the economic difference between her family and Jamee’s. Charlotte’s assumptions about Jamee’s family’s lifestyle based on their socioeconomic status—which also manifests through her encouragements for the parents to better themselves academically and professionally with the new laptop—further enforce Jamee’s existing sense of inadequacy. She is left feeling judged wherever she goes in some form or another.

“For the rest of the evening, she sat in a chair at the corner of the room while Aunt Charlotte and her parents talked about Darcy’s future as though it was the only one that mattered.”

Jamee’s family is so focused on Darcy’s path to a brighter future that they neglect Jamee, paying attention to her only to criticize her for not being more like her sister. This contributes to Jamee feeling alone and isolated within her family; without support, she is forced to confront Vanessa’s bullying alone.

“But I always heard you were different, the kind of girl who knows how to hang. You’re not like Darcy, who stays inside and skips parties to do her homework. You’re for real, hookin’ up with Bobby Wallace and all last year. That’s serious!”

Vanessa hints again at Jamee’s reputation of being a girl who will “hook up” or have sexual relationships with boys. Notably, it is framed as yet another comparison between Darcy and Jamee. Jamee realizes that this statement is loaded, as she thinks it sounds like both a compliment and an insult. This statement by Vanessa contributes to Jamee feeling uncomfortable and unsure about Dez, and it also makes her feel insecure about where she stands with the school bully.

“Where Darcy had a natural talent for schoolwork, Jamee knew her sister couldn’t touch her with athletics.”

Jamee highlights here that she and Darcy are different—but unlike other comparisons, she doesn’t automatically believe that schoolwork is superior to athletics. This provides a more neutral look at the sisters’ skills and shows how their differences balance each other out. It also reinforces why Jamee is willing to risk trouble with teachers and at home to attend cheer practice: It’s the one space where she can stop feeling inferior. This helps contextualize Jamee’s actions.

“Part of her wanted to get up and explain to Coach Seville how Vanessa and the other girls ganged up on Angel, but she didn’t want to snitch.”

Jamee’s resolve against “snitching” provides context for the girls’ later refusal to tell the principal and the coach about what Vanessa did. The students have a moral code that directs them to handle issues among themselves. This also shows how significant Crystal’s actions were when she brought the photograph to Coach Seville, as she broke the “no snitching” code and turned to adults for help. While the desire to protect each other from adult interference has value among the students, it also stems from a place of Social Pressure and Conformity, wherein snitching is worse than actually doing something wrong, like bullying.

“Was this what Vanessa meant when she said Jamee had ‘quite the reputation?’ Who else thought this? Did the whole school believe this story about Jamee and Bobby? And who had started the story in the first place?”

Jamee finally understands what Vanessa was hinting at earlier in the book. Jamee is shocked and horrified by the idea of the rumor as she realizes people think she had sex with Bobby Wallace. It marks the first time in the book that Jamee is targeted directly by the cruel actions of others. Like with the later rumor about her being romantically interested in women, Jamee’s main concern is just that it’s untrue. She is aware of the prevalence of misogyny and how it will impact her treatment from others.

“Jamee ignored them all, even Vanessa’s mean laugh and Tasha’s odd, guilty stare.”

This scene takes place in the locker room after Jamee comforts Angel. The scene foreshadows what will happen later with the photograph, offering a hint that Tasha and her phone are a part of something bad. Tasha’s “guilty” look also develops her character arc, in which she begins by acting badly to earn the friendship of the mean girls but comes to realize that isn’t the kind of person she wants to be. Tasha’s development in resisting the urge to conform shows that Jamee isn’t the only person desiring a sense of Identity and Individuality.

“She wanted Angel to hear her. She looked so nervous, so scared whenever Vanessa was around. And yet, Angel had something special. Jamee wanted her to remember it the night before auditions. She knew Vanessa would try to rip it away.”

Jamee suggests Vanessa’s motives for bullying Angel—Angel’s “something special” threatens Vanessa and so Vanessa wants to break Angel down so that she doesn’t make the team, giving Vanessa a better chance to become a cheerleader. In this scene, Jamee also defies Vanessa by stepping between her and Angel. This shows Jamee’s courage as she once again puts herself in the line of fire to support a girl she barely knows.

“Angel stared at Vanessa for what felt like forever. Jamee could feel the battle going on between them.”

This quote shows character growth for Angel. While Angel has previously responded to Vanessa’s aggression by leaving or lowering her head, she stands her ground in this scene. This is a sign of her budding confidence and belief in herself, as she refuses to fall victim to social pressure.

“There was a smudge of mascara under her right eye that made her look like someone had punched her. The smudge and the angry sneer on her face made her suddenly look very, very ugly.”

Vanessa was previously described as pretty and someone Jamee might see in a magazine. In this moment, Jamee believes Vanessa to be as ugly on the outside as she is on the inside. This connects to the title of the novel, Pretty Ugly, in which those two ideas are juxtaposed. This quote reveals the title’s reference to this contradiction between one’s personality and their appearance. It suggests that inner ugliness can be more important than outer beauty.

“Everything suddenly seemed so complicated: her relationship with Darcy, her feelings about Dez, her performance in school, the cheerleading tryouts. It seemed as if everybody was pressuring her to be someone else.”

Jamee’s life became complicated very quickly. She has only been in high school for a few weeks and already has many conflicts. She lists external conflicts first, then highlights her internal ones—developing a sense of Individuality and Identity under the weight of everyone’s expectations for her. This suggests that Jamee feels overwhelmed and out of control of her life.

“Jamee shook her head. She hadn’t told on anyone in years, not even if she knew some of the kids who sold drugs after school, stole from cars on Union Street, or busted the swings in the nearby park. Ratting people out didn’t seem right. But maybe now was different.”

The moral code of not “snitching” is reinforced in this passage. This quote also develops the setting of the novel, highlighting the underaged crime that is common in the inner city. Jamee’s aversion to telling on others further develops her characterization as a person who adheres to a strong sense of what is right and wrong, even if her standards are culturally relative.

“Jamee stepped up to Vanessa, staring at the taller girl’s hair extensions and the cover-up she wore to make herself look pretty. All Jamee could see was ugliness in Vanessa’s lying eyes.”

This passage further develops the idea of the connection between beauty and goodness, showing that inner ugliness can outweigh outer beauty. Though Jamee used to see Vanessa as pretty, her looks have now been tainted by her cruelty and dishonesty, so she now appears ugly to Jamee. This reinforces the book’s emphasis on the importance of good character.

“‘You better step off. Just ‘cause you like that doesn’t mean I am, y’hear?’ The girl seemed almost scared, and yet her eyes were angry, too.”

The girl’s reaction to Jamee accidentally bumping into her develops the novel’s themes of both Prejudice as a Tool in Bullying and Social Pressure and Conformity. The fear in the student’s eyes suggests that she is afraid that any association with Jamee will get her labeled as gay as well. While this emphasizes how Vanessa’s use of anti-gay bias has effectively isolated Jamee, it also shows how social pressure encourages people to conform to the expectations or restrictions of those around them. The student’s comment doesn’t directly express anti-gay sentiment as much as it shows how concerned she is at being alienated by bullying as well.

“‘How much did you pay for your hair, Vanessa?’ It was Angel.

[…] ‘What?’

‘Your hair,’ Angel repeated. ‘My mom’s a stylist at Essentials Salon. That looks like one of the synthetics. Maybe $4.99 a track? Less if you can get it wholesale.’”

This quote advances Angel’s movement from timid and shy to confident and willing to stand up for herself. She directly challenges Vanessa, which the other students are afraid to do. It also develops the theme of Prejudice as a Tool in Bullying, as Angel is pointing out signs of possible poverty in a derogatory way, intending to “other” Vanessa and make her an object of mockery.

“‘You and your sister couldn’t be more different.’ She pointed at Darcy. ‘Darcy’s been working hard all afternoon on her schoolwork, while you were out there jumping around with your friends.’”

This comparison to Darcy also serves to express Jamee’s mother’s feelings about cheerleading. Referring to it as “jumping around” dismisses the skills required and demeans the importance of the activity, which Jamee has repeatedly insisted is a sport that consists of athletes. In doing so, her mother reduces Jamee’s chance of establishing her own Identity and Individuality through the pursuit of her interests.