Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass

Piddy helps Darlene with physics homework at the girl’s apartment. Despite Darlene’s insistence, Piddy refuses to just hand over the answers. After studying, Darlene compliments Piddy’s science skills. She tells her about a science magnet school, suggesting that she is smart enough and a shoo-in to be accepted because she is Latina. Annoyed at the back-handed compliment, Piddy says she wants to work with animals, and Darlene tells her that the school has biology classes too.

On Saturday at the salon, Gloria asks Piddy if her friends are outside. Vanesa and others linger on the street. Piddy remembers that Yaqui saw her wearing the salon shirt at the Saturday detention, and her stomach sinks. When Piddy steps out, Vanesa tells her that Yaqui wants to fight tonight at the park. Piddy refuses, but Vanesa warns her that Yaqui will find her. Just then, Lila steps outside and glares at Vanesa until the girls leave. When Lila asks what is going on, Piddy returns to work without answering.

That night, Piddy and Lila get takeout, and Lila advises her to stay away from those girls. Then, they assemble Avon orders from the party. When Lila sees Piddy’s fear about going home, she offers to ride the bus with her. At home, Clara is asleep on the couch, so Piddy covers her and goes into the bathroom. Before getting in the shower, she plucks her eyebrows into a mean expression and considers this a new beginning as a tough girl.

Piddy plans to surprise Mitzi on Long Island. However, before she leaves, Clara is taken aback by her daughter’s new appearance. On the bus, Piddy notices that things are cleaner, less busy, and less diverse than the city. Once there, Mrs. Ortega’s welcoming hug envelops Piddy. Mrs. Ortega directs her to a basketball court where Mitzi is playing with friends.

Piddy watches the girls from behind the bushes before stepping out. Surprised but happy, Mitzi introduces her to everyone. Piddy is stunned because Mitzi is normally shy and hates sports. When Sophia, one of Mitzi’s friends, invites her to get food but calls her by the wrong name, Piddy rudely declines. The two girls return to the Ortega house, but the rest of the evening is awkward. When Mitzi walks her to the bus, they argue, each claiming the other has changed. Piddy is bitter that her friend has a new life with snobby friends, while Mitzi points out that Piddy seems mean. Before leaving, Piddy claims that everything is perfect and that Mitzi should just forget about her.

The following Friday, Yaqui and her friends are waiting for Piddy. They follow her home, toss rocks, and whisper insults. In front of Piddy’s building, Yaqui grabs her hair; someone is filming on their phone. Yaqui pushes Piddy to the ground, punching and kicking hard. Mrs. Boika watches from her window. Eventually, Yaqui lifts Piddy by her shirt which rips. When Piddy lunges for the door, Yaqui yanks Piddy’s bra down, leaving her half-naked. Before walking away, she puts Piddy’s shirt over her shoulders, tosses the elephant charm down, and grinds it into the ground. Then, she warns Piddy to stay away from Alfredo.

Inside, Piddy frantically calls Lila, who arrives and tends to Piddy’s wounds. She describes the fight but begs Lila not to tell her mother. If Clara knows, she will go to school and make things worse. When Clara gets home, she complains about Lila smoking until she sees her daughter. Even though she does not believe Piddy’s story about falling down the stairs, Clara does not press her. Lila stays silent.

All weekend, Piddy hides in her room, not responding to texts or calls. Her face is swollen, her eyes are red, and her body is badly bruised. When her mother calls for her, she thinks that “Piddy’s dead, Ma” (168). When Piddy takes out the trash, she is frightened by Mrs. Boika, who tends her rosebushes. Piddy glares at her, angry that she will care for a plant but not a human being. Near the front door, Piddy spots her elephant charm. When she picks it up, Darlene appears and shows Piddy the video of the fight that is circulating online.

On Monday, Piddy wakes, vowing never to go to school again. Instead, she heads to her old apartment and throws stones at Joey’s window until he comes outside. They go to the subway station, and Piddy leans against Joey while they wait for an empty train. They sit alone, legs touching. Once underground, Joey opens the back door of the car, and Piddy follows. They stand with a foot on the platform of each car, riding dangerously through the dark. He urges Piddy to let go. When they pull into the station, Joey kisses her.

The day with Joey speeds by. When they get back to Piddy’s apartment, Joey enters too. There is a message on the house phone from school, but Joey deletes it. They go into Piddy’s room where he pulls her onto the bed, kissing and undressing her. As he touches her, Piddy winces, and Joey pales at the sight of her bruised body. He moves away. When Piddy begs him not to stop, he covers her with a sheet. She sobs and apologizes. At her words, he hardens and tells her never to say sorry again; then, giving her a shirt, he leaves.

Piddy skips school again, calling Darlene to cover for her. Once her mom leaves, Piddy takes the bus to Mitzi’s school. Unseen, she observes her friend at lunch. Piddy decides that she would never fit in here. On Wednesday, she leaves early to deliver physics homework to Darlene. Later, Lila calls with the news that the Halpers are being evicted. When she tells Piddy that the family is trash, Piddy retorts that Joey is not garbage. After school, Darlene informs Piddy that she will no longer cover for her.

On her fifth day of skipping, the school calls Clara at work, and she surprises Piddy midmorning, demanding answers. When her mother accuses her of being with a boy and calls her names, Piddy swears at her and tells her that she knows her dad had a wife. Clara slaps her daughter and calls her a devil. Piddy storms out.

All day and into the night, Piddy rides the subway. People shy away from her, and she thinks she is a monster. She refuses to answer her phone. After 10 o’clock, Piddy walks home and realizes that she is near Yaqui’s neighborhood. However, she feels no fear. A police officer calls to her. It is Raúl. Clara and Lila are worried. After wrapping her in a blanket, he brings her home. Once inside, she walks past the women and locks the door to her room, determined to wait until Lila is gone and her mother is asleep before she gets food. She vows to never talk to her mother again.