Summary

Chapter 13 describes Ford’s strong dislike of her mother’s next boyfriend, Allen. When her mother conceived Allen’s child, Ford was distraught, knowing it meant he would never leave them alone now. One day, while reeling from a bad argument with her mother, Ford opened up to Allen about feeling like her mother did not like her. Allen told her mother, betraying her trust. Later, when the baby, Jorian, was born, R.C. had been playing with him but dropped him by mistake, knocking out a tooth. Allen took his rage out on their mother.

In Chapter 14, Ford describes meeting Bradley in sixth grade, a white boy who was kind to her despite the bullying she experienced from her other classmates. Bradley continuously complimented her and called her beautiful, but Ford was wary. Then, Ford went with her uncle Clarence to visit...