We Deserve Monuments

Simone and Avery pursue Jade, who is upset that her friends lied to her. Jade is insulted when Simone frets that the boys will tell Tallulah, who will tell Carole. When Jade snipes that her “family is not that evil” and accuses Simone of being “dramatic,” Avery scoffs and urges Jade to “be real” (246). She accuses Jade of knowing that her grandfather and great-grandfather murdered Ray. Jade leaves, crying, hurt when Simone hesitates to leave with her. Jade blames the unrest on Avery’s arrival and insists she never wants to see Avery or Simone again, throwing her friendship ring at them as she drives away.

Simone and Avery walk the seven miles home from the fair. Simone marvels at all the revelations of the evening, crying over her fear that her mother will reject her for being a lesbian. Their English teacher sees them and offers them a ride home. The girls sit with the teacher’s granddaughters, one of whom is “dressed like an old-timey Southern belle” (251).

At home, Simone and Avery joke about how terrible things have gotten, unable to process the evening in any other way. She finds Letty reading Ray’s