In "The First Marking Period," the first part of the novel Speak, under the subheading "Devils Destroy," Melinda decides to use the excuse of going to the pep rally to bunk class and clean her newly found cupboard—a safe place where she goes to be alone. Her plan is to join the crowd on the way to the rally and then to duck into "a bathroom until the coast is clear." As she states, however, "I forgot to factor in Heather."
She is just approaching the safety of the bathroom when her new friend Heather runs up to her, calling her name and grabbing her arm. She says she wants Melinda to sit with her at the pep rally and even has an extra pom pom Melinda can wave. "We'll get them going, won't we Mel?"
The pep rally turns into a disaster for Melinda. Someone recognizes her as the person who phoned the police at Kyle's party and beats her up.
Heather ruins Melinda's plan to not attend the pep rally.
In the First Marking Period, Melinda's school is holding a pep rally for homecoming that she plans on skipping. Melinda plans on walking in the crowd alongside the other students towards the auditorium before sneaking into a bathroom, where she can wait until the halls are cleared and collect more supplies to fix up her hiding spot in the empty janitor's closet. Unfortunately, Melinda cannot follow through with her plan because Heather calls her name and drags her to the pep rally. During the pep rally, a random girl taps Melinda on the back of the shoulder and begins ridiculing her for calling the cops on Kyle Rodgers's party the previous summer. The girl then jams her knees into Melinda's back. Melinda wishes she could disappear and sulks away after the pep rally ends.
No comments:
Post a Comment