Romiette and Julio

In her lengthy first entry, Romiette “Romi” Cappelle introduces herself, an African American high school junior, as well as her father (a local television news reporter) and mother (the owner of a high-end boutique specializing in African artifacts). Romi writes about her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as her likes (environmentally safe products, chili, and macadamia nut cookies) and dislikes (picky people, watermelon, and chocolate). She writes about her fear of water and the fact that she never learned to swim. She writes that she has never had a boyfriend but dreams of meeting a boy who is thoughtful, creative, and artistic.

Romi heads to school the first day after Christmas break. She meets up with Destiny, her best friend. Destiny is interested in astrology and horoscopes. Romi tells Destiny about her nightmare. As the first period bell rings, a fight breaks out in the crowded hallway.

Sixteen-year-old Julio Montague, a Mexican American transfer student from Corpus Christi, Texas, hates everything about Cincinnati. He misses the warmth of Texas, his grandfather’s ranch, and swimming and fishing in the nearby Gulf of Mexico. The Ohio River, by contrast, seems “brown and thick and look[s] more like oozing mud” (16). Julio understands his parents’ decision to move away from Corpus Christi because of their fear of the gangs in Texan public schools. Julio himself never joined a gang but knew of gang activity and how gangs bullied students and teachers alike.

As Julio approaches his new school, Thomas Jefferson High School, he understands he will be branded as the new student. Feeling angry, he heads down the crowded halls until a skinny white student with bright green hair bumps into him and knocks him down. Irritated, he takes a swing at the other boy. When the principal appears, however, the other boy refuses to blame Julio. He tells the principal that he slipped and that the new student was just helping him up. Julio cannot figure out why the boy lied for him. The boy, Ben Olsen, waves the incident off and heads to class. Trying to find his first classroom, Julio is bothered by a Black student in purple sweats who calls him “Chico,” derogatory slang for Latino people.

After school, Destiny goes to Romi’s house. She shows her an ad for a Scientific Soul Mate System, a package of items guaranteed to select a person’s soul mate. Prom is coming up, and she wants to know her soul mate now. The package costs $45, and Destiny needs money from Romi. Romi agrees only because she loves her friend’s free spirit.

Julio returns to his family’s apartment where his father, Luis, is unpacking stacks of cardboard boxes from the move. When his father asks about school, Julio complains. Unexpectedly, Ben Olsen, the student he punched, calls him. Ben asks Julio about life in Texas. Julio talks about swimming in the Gulf of Mexico and riding horses at his grandfather’s ranch. He then explains his unusual last name, Montague: His great-grandfather was an Italian entrepreneur with extensive business interests in Mexico. Julio, warming up to Ben, tells him that his dream job would be in television.

Chapter 7 is a transcript of a 24/7 chat room for teenagers called Teen Talk. Amid the usual white noise of teenagers talking about school and music, Julio, who has logged on with the name “spanishlover,” asks about Thomas Jefferson High School. He learns that gangs “run everything” and that many of the “gangbangers” carry guns (41-42). When Julio starts to complain about how dreary Cincinnati is, he is challenged by “afroqueen” (later revealed to be Romi), who says that “spanishlover” seems unhappy and offers to move to a private chat room. Julio agrees.

“Spanishlover” and “afroqueen” chat, and the talk turns confessional. Julio talks about life in Texas and how lonely he is in Ohio. “Afroqueen” admits to a fear of open water and her nightmares about drowning, alone and unable to breathe. Julio shares his love of all music and how many instruments he plays, including the mandolin. “Afroqueen” admits to a special fondness for the mandolin. They then sign off.

Destiny is mortified that Romi entered a private chat room with a stranger, due to the potential danger. She convinces Romi to not meet “spanishlover” again.

It is Monday, and Julio returns to school. He cannot get “afroqueen” out of his head—nor her honesty, empathy, and sense of humor. A gang of Black students all wearing purple, the Devildogs, accost him in the bathroom. They tell Julio that they do not want a renegade Hispanic gang member to make trouble on their “turf,” by which they mean the school. They then tell him that he is protected and will be left alone. Shaken, Julio does not tell the Devildogs that he is not a gang member, as he knows this misunderstanding is the only thing protecting him.

That night, Julio calls Diego, his best friend back in Corpus Christi. He tells him about his online chat with “afroqueen” and the Devildogs’ confrontation in the bathroom. Diego warns him to take gangs seriously. Then, Julio gets a call from Ben. Julio asks him about the Black students in purple. Ben explains that the group is known as the Family, or the Devildogs, and that they are often armed.

That night, in the chat room, Julio and “afroqueen” talk about the latter’s recurring nightmare about drowning and the voice who calls out to her. “Afroqueen” says she is uncertain whether the voice seeks to save her or let her drown. When they relocate to a private chat, they discover they go to the same school. They agree to meet the next day at lunch. Julio admits he is being targeted by the Devildogs because he is Hispanic. He and “afroqueen” exchange names, and Julio finds out “afroqueen” is Romiette Cappelle.

The next night, Romi writes in her journal about meeting Julio at lunch. When they meet, Julio stands up on one of the cafeteria chairs and offers Romi a single rose. They hit it off right away and talk so much that they both forget to eat lunch.