D Foster

D (short for Desiree) is an eleven-year-old girl at the outset of the novel, and thirteen by the time the narrative ends. D arrives on Neeka and the narrator's block one day, dressed oddly, and develops a quick friendship, initially over Double Dutch jumproping.

D doesn't say where she comes from, and she doesn't give up much information about herself, causing the other two girls to wonder about her past. Eventually, D's past is revealed. She was abandoned by her alcoholic mother, who is unsure of who D's father is. D spent time in a group home for abandoned children for some time, and then was bounced around to several foster families before settling in with Flo. D's mother is white—and presumably, her father was black—accounting for D's unusual skin, eye, and hair color.

Like the other girls, D is infatuated with the...