Chapter 2 Summary

Determined to win First Prize in the elocution contest, Betsey concentrates on reciting her lines all the way to class, but a series of accidents and distractions causes her to arrive sweaty, out of breath, self-conscious and off-balance. Then she watches two "fast" girls recite a racy poem, and remembers listening in on their discussions about "It," that special something people in love give each other—whatever "It" might be—and thinks about the basketball star she has a crush on, Eugene Boyd. She delivers a strong performance and captures the prize, a bunch of red roses from Mrs. Mitchell's garden.

After school Betsey and her friends Charlotte Anne and Veejay have ice cream sodas while watching the High School boys catch the trolley, and then the girls go up the street to Susan Linda's house to play double-dutch and watch Susan Linda's...