Chapter 5 Summary

Antonia comes home from school to find that her mother is awake with Chuckie in the kitchen. Her mom apologizes for being short with her the night before. Antonia is visibly concerned when she learns that her mom sent Michael to McDonald's by himself, which upsets her mother. Antonia knows her mom is still not well when she discovers the burnt pot in the kitchen sink. Her mother then confesses that she used some of Antonia's savings to help pay the electric bill.

Determined to make the peer counseling sessions work with Jazz, Antonia reviews notes and tries a different approach. The next time the two of them meet, Antonia takes control. They talk about their siblings and make comparisons between them. Jazz has an older sister, who plays by the rules, while Antonia has two younger brothers that are coping with their...