Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass

Piddy is at Daniel Jones High because her mother relocated them when the lobby stairs of their old apartment building collapsed. Although she frequently threatened to move, Piddy’s mom, Clara, was adamant they were leaving this time. They found a new place nearby but in a different school zone. Recently, Piddy’s friend, Mitzi Ortega, moved to Long Island because her parents wanted a better environment for her too. Piddy hates their new place, which is a short walk to her new school. Furthermore, another resident, Mrs. Boika, refuses to even say hello. When they moved in, Clara deemed it perfect for a young girl. Piddy thinks her mom is stuck on gender stereotypes; as a result, she has never told Clara that she wants to work with elephants. Piddy even has an elephant charm necklace that she cherishes.

The day she learns about Yaqui, Piddy goes home to an empty apartment, as her mom will not be home from work until late. Frustrated that she has no one to talk to, Piddy broods over Yaqui’s threat. Sifting through unpacked boxes, Piddy finds loose photographs. She pulls them out, hoping to find evidence of her father, but she is unsuccessful. A few days later, Mitzi visits and proposes that Yaqui is probably mad because her boyfriend noticed Piddy. Mitzi urges her to figure out who Yaqui is. Then Piddy buys a new dress, and they joke about her womanly figure.

On Monday, Piddy arrives at school early. Before getting a yearbook from the library, a few boys jeer and catcall at her outside. Later, in English, Piddy leaves through the book while students present Julius Caesar projects. She hopes her teacher, Ms. Shepherd, does not call on her. As volunteers present, Piddy notices a slur written on her desk and worries that it is meant for her. After Piddy finds a photograph of Yaqui, Ms. Shepherd confiscates the yearbook and asks Piddy to share her project. Even though Piddy is ready, she declines. Rob breaks the tension by volunteering. Ms. Shepherd advises Piddy to have her project the next day, so she does not earn a zero. Piddy tries to look unfazed and tough, but she has never received a zero before. As Rob grips his dagger and recites lines from the play, Piddy envisions Yaqui sticking a dagger in her.

Later, Darlene tells Piddy she is outrageous to talk to Alfredo. Frustrated, Piddy recalls the boys who catcalled her that morning. After school, Piddy phones Mitzi, but her friend is busy at a badminton tournament. Alone in the laundromat, Piddy is miserable. Thinking of Mitzi’s family, she imagines that life would be easier if her father, whom she knows nothing about, were around. Often, she pretends strangers are her long-lost father. Piddy tries to do homework, but Yaqui’s threat and loneliness consume her.

Two days later in the lunchroom, a carton of chocolate milk hits the wall behind Piddy’s head, covering her and others in the brown liquid. As Piddy looks for the culprit, she sees Yaqui staring her down. Then, Yaqui slowly turns away. Tense with anger, Piddy vows to learn more about Yaqui.

That afternoon, Piddy walks to her old apartment building. She smells bad, and her clothes are stained. When she arrives, Joey Halper is sitting on the stoop. They played together as kids, but now Joey is hardened from witnessing his father abuse his mother. They banter about the collapsed stairs, and he asks why she is back. Piddy lies about collecting mail. He affectionately calls her the nickname Toad. Then, Piddy heads to Lila’s apartment where they watch a novela together. While talking about nail polish, Lila notices Piddy’s appearance and smell. Piddy lies about a food fight. After the show ends, Lila pampers Piddy by washing her hair. When Lila asks about school, Piddy lies again, claiming that all is okay.

Piddy’s mom studied piano in Cuba but no longer plays because it brings back memories of Piddy’s father. When Piddy asks to learn Latin music, Clara refuses, indicating that classical is better. The only thing Piddy knows about her father, Agustín Sanchez, is that he played the organ in a church, came to the United States from Santo Domingo, and left her mother before they married and she was born. She does not even know what he looks like. When Piddy begs Lila to tell her about her dad, she refuses.

On Friday afternoon, Piddy meets her mother at the grocery store. On their walk home, they pass Yaqui and her friends playing a game called “suicide” in which they throw balls at a person. Yaqui is the target, and she does not flinch, even when she gets hit in the mouth. Fearful, Piddy keeps her head down and walks quickly while her mother mouths complaints about the girls. Piddy longs to be tough like them, but because she is terrified of being spotted, she speeds to their apartment. When her mom catches up, she asks why Piddy is trembling. Piddy claims she hates the apartment and kicks the door. Clara thinks it is adolescent moodiness.

On Saturday, Piddy works with Lila at Salón Corazón. Gloria, the owner, runs not only a successful hair salon but a popular social hangout. She has only one rule for her employees: make the customer happy. Piddy’s responsibilities include sweeping hair, getting coffee, and folding towels. The only thing she hates is Gloria’s little dog, Fabio, who nips at her. Lila is well-loved by everyone, doling out advice, talking makeup, and earning big tips. Piddy listens to the gossip, especially about Lila’s police officer boyfriend, Raúl. A woman named Beba asks about Clara. Trying to distract her, Lila directs Piddy to the back room. She, however, stops just out of sight to listen to the conversation about how her father was a two-timer. Lila spots Piddy, though, and sends her away. Missing most of the conversation, Piddy eventually hears Lila say that some men abandon their children.

When they shop together later, Piddy drills Lila with questions about her father. At first, Lila refuses to say anything, but Piddy presses on. When Lila asks if she has talked to her mother, Piddy says no. Eventually, Lila relents and reveals that Piddy’s father was already married when he met Clara, and things got complicated when she became pregnant. Piddy calls her mother a “chusma,” and Lila scolds her and insists that Piddy talk to her mother.