Section 10: Chapter 12 Summary

Aisha is nervous as she and Nadira arrive at Barnard's cramped campus the next day. As they walk around, Nadira encourages her sister to forget about their personal problems. Too nervous for her sister to accompany her to the interview, Aisha asks Nadira to meet her in an hour. Walking around campus, Nadira meets an Asian girl who is studying to become a geologist, and the girl explains people thought she was weird in high school for her fascination with rocks, but in college, lots of people are interested in strange things. Nadira imagines herself at college for the first time. When Nadira meets Aisha, Aisha is vomiting by the front gate, but she claims the interview went alright, refusing to elaborate. On Monday morning, Mr. Friedlander is angry with Aisha for missing debate team practices and meets, and Nadira is...