Chapters 1-2 Summary

Girl Walking Backwards, the story of a bisexual girl coming of age in late 1990s California, opens with the protagonist, Skye, describing her fantasy of rescuing a runaway girl. She is not naive, however, and knows that her fantasies probably have little to do with the reality of actual runaways. Nevertheless, when she sees that she can do community service instead of going to study hall, she jumps at the chance and goes to a nearby shelter for teens. When she's there, though, she lies about her age on the form, and the man who is interviewing her wonders if she, herself, needs help. Scared for various reasons she's not sure of, Skye jumps up and runs away from the shelter. Instead of volunteering there, then, she decides to work for Planned Parenthood, though she has to go through a lot...