We Deserve Monuments

Jade helps arrange a free spa day for Avery, Zora, and Letty. Things remain “weird” between Avery and Simone, despite Simone’s continual insistence that everything is fine. Even so, Avery’s crush intensifies.

Zora is uncomfortable when they arrive for their spa day. Letty wears a “Queen for the Day” sash and openly informs staff that they are celebrating her death (168). Though Avery feels the spa day is inadequate compared to all she’s missed in Letty’s life, she finds the treatments relaxing, as do her mother and grandmother. They joke together, though Zora becomes visibly anxious when Carole approaches. This leads Zora and Letty to bicker, exasperating Avery.

When Zora steps away, Avery insists they talk through their issues, shocked when this makes Mama Letty cry. Letty hides her tears before Zora returns and insists on going home, canceling the end of their spa day. Tallulah approaches, introducing herself. She recognizes but cannot place Letty’s name. (In Chapter 13, Tallulah reveals she got Letty fired from her job by complaining about her attitude.) Tallulah explains that the winter formal used to be called the “Cotton Ball,” oblivious to Avery’s discomfort with the reference to a crop picked by enslaved people.