Maybe He Just Likes You

“It’s funny how close friends can be totally different about certain things.”

Dee foreshadows Mila’s conflict with Zara. Although this passage discusses how Mila and her friends have different senses of style and wardrobe habits, clothing is deeply symbolic and represents a person’s priorities. For Zara, silly t-shirts and bright colors emphasize her goofy nature and her need to be the center of attention. For Mila, however, toned-down clothing that covers her whole body represents her desire to blend in, keep a low profile, and be seen for who she really is, not what she looks like.

“[M]y stomach was doing this fluttery-moth sort of thing. Which wasn’t the same as a fluttery-butterfly thing. Because butterflies were soft and pretty, but moths just gave me the creeps.”

Mila establishes this metaphor early in the novel after one of the first touching incidents with the boys. Dee takes the popular saying about having butterflies in one’s stomach and turns it into an unpleasant, nervous feeling. Mila is not excited or giddy about her interactions with the boys in her class: She feels violated, confused, and uneasy. This metaphor serves as a reminder that although physical affection can be pleasant, it can also be deeply uncomfortable if it is unwelcome.