Awkward

Throughout the next day, Peppi tries to get to Jaime’s locker so she can put her letter inside, but she keeps getting foiled. She ends up excusing herself from science class to drop off the letter. 

Later, in the art club, Maribella is stressed: The deadline for their comic is Friday, but no one else is done and they are spending their time drawing other things. The science club comes into the room to brag about their project. Maribella decides that they need to find out what the science club is doing.

After school, as Peppi is walking with her friends and talking about their comic panels, Jaime comes up to her, with her letter in his hands. Peppi tells her friends to go ahead without her. Flustered, she asks Jaime if he hates her. He says that his mom says there are bad people who hurt people for fun and good people who do it by accident, and he thinks Peppi is the latter.

As they talk, the mean kids walk by and call Jaime and Peppi the “nerder” and “his girlfriend” (128). They steal Peppi’s apology and read it out loud. Feeling violated, Peppi hisses, “That’s. Not. Yours. To read” (129) and screams.