Summary

In Chapter 16, Maxine and Selina became inseparable. However, when Selina got sick, Maxine had no one to rely on at school. The other girls were not as “violently racist” as Greg Adams, but they were not accepting either (160). Maxine kept trying to fit in with them. One day, Maxine convinced Cleo to let her “chemically straighten [her] hair” (161). The appointment did not go well and Maxine ended up with a bald spot on the back of her head. She was also devastated when the hairdresser said she could not wet her hair for two weeks. She was supposed to attend a pool party the next day. She went anyway, sitting on the edge and refusing to get in. When she explained it was because of her hair, everyone made fun of her. Maxine jumped into the water, wetting her head and exposing the...