Springville High School

All of the main characters in the novel attend Springville High School. Approximately 30% of the students are Black, and the school is highly segregated. The Black students do not mix often with the white students. There is a popular group of students at Springville, and these include, among others, Jules, Wendy, and Kendrick. Maddy is a social outcast. The novel begins on the school track. Some scenes occur in classrooms as well as in the library.

The Washington's House

The Washingtons have a modest house. Maddy’s room is in the attic. She has a closet which her father has made into a prayer closet. It is covered in pictures of glamorous white women, and when her father gets mad at her, he locks her in there and makes her pray to be like the white women. Mr. Washington lived with his mother in the house...