Summary

Chapter 4 is written through the first-person point of view of Ruthy Ramirez. At the outset of the chapter, Ruthy tells the reader about the day she went missing, from the second-person point of view, as if the readier is “that girl” (42). While Ruthy and Yesenia had been best friends in the sixth grade, Yesenia had begun spending time with Angela Cruz, whispering loudly about Ruthy. In the cafeteria, Ruthy stood in line when “out of nowhere, somebody touche[d] the back of [her] head” (46). Angela was standing behind her grinning. When Ruthy touched the hair, she felt the wad of gum that Angela had pressed into her curls. She lifted her tray to hit the other girl, but Angela knocked it out of her hand as the other eighth graders circled to watch them fight. In Mr. Delvecchio’s office, Ruthy attempted...