Summary

Chapter 1 consists of three sentences that set the tone for the novel. Jade Butler writes that she is “learning to speak. To give myself a way out. A way in” (1). The Spanish word at the opening of Chapter 1 is “espanol,” which translates to “Spanish Language.”

In Chapter 2, the opening Spanish word is “tener exito,” which means “to succeed.” Jade notes that the word “exit” appears in the Spanish word for succeed. She takes that as a sign she will have to leave her neighborhood if she wants to succeed. She has been attending St. Francis High School for the past two years on a scholarship. It is an exclusive school that is far from her neighborhood school, Northside High School. She would have preferred to go to Northside with her friends, but she feels compelled to make the most of this opportunity. The...