The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School

Sixteen-year-old Yamilet “Yami” Flores has just quit her job as a barista to avoid her ex-best friend, Bianca, who outed her as gay at the end of sophomore year. At home, Yami punches her vanity mirror, cracking it and cutting her hand. Yami prefers her fractured reflection, feeling that it better represents her current state. Her brother, Cesar, who is 10 months younger but in the same grade due to skipping a year, enters to check on the noise. Seeing Yami’s bloody hand, he asks if she is okay, and she asks him the same question, noting that he has scabs on his knuckles and a black eye. Despite their mutual concern, the siblings don’t pry into each other’s problems. Cesar announces that he received all As, confirming his scholarship to Slayton Catholic High School. Yami plans to transfer with him, and she is working to cover half of her tuition. She wants to be able to continue looking out for him, as he often gets into fights, and she wants to escape her former friends at Rover High School. She resolves to be “stealthy gay” at Slayton, determined never to see Bianca again.

Yami’s mother, Maria, calls Yami to her bedroom, where she’s making Mexican jewelry.