Hi.
I just began to read a book titled “Define ‘Normal’”. The main character is Antonia, who in my mind is annoyingly ignorant, preppy, and goody-two-shoed. She signed up for peer counselling, which is like guidance counselling though student to student interaction. Antonia is in eigth grade, 14 years old. When she discovers that she has been paired with Jasmine, or “Jazz”, she is instantly mortified.
Jazz is a punker. A druggie, slacker, and has an “I-don’t-give-a-damn” attitude. Her hair is purple, lips black, she has peircings and tattos and faded ripped jeans fall over her tall, chunky, black boots.
Antonia is convinced that this arrangement will fail to work after the first session. All they managed to get through that day was see Jazz’s tattoos – which she explained were free with every pericing. Antonia then argued childishly with the teacher in charge of the program. He tells her try again.
In the next session, Jazz gets ”Tone” that she calls her, by getting her to admit that she too has problems that she might need help with. And she does.
Antonia is practically the mother of her family. She has two younger brothers, one 7 and one still a toddler. Her mother lies in bed all day sleeping and smoking, I think from depression of the father’s death some time ago. Because of this, Antonia runs all the errands – from grocery shopping to dropping off the boys to their babysitter’s (not by car).
I am at the moment unaware of Jazz’s real life, though I can predict that typically she is a somewhat good kid, wise, caring, and smart. Also she did not ask to be part of the peer counselling. The teacher demanded that she do 15 hours in the term, for reasons unknown, though most likely because he thinks she needs it more than a punishment for something she did.
Well that’s it so far. : D
