Monday's Not Coming

Claudia calls Ms. Orman, the former school nurse. Her daughter answers, angry that the school would give out her phone number. When Claudia mentions Monday’s name, the daughter tells Claudia that her mother’s Alzheimer’s is bad. She finally agrees to let Claudia speak to Ms. Orman but says she’ll hang up if things get out of hand. 

When Ms. Orman gets on the phone, she doesn’t recognize Claudia’s name. She does remember Monday and immediately asks what happened. She turns grave when she hears that Monday hasn’t been in school. She tells Claudia that Monday was never sick. When Monday was kept out of school for weeks, it wasn’t for the flu. “It was all smoke and mirrors […] I had to get her out” (231). 

Ms. Orman becomes confused and panicked, wondering what happened to Monday and whether she could help find Monday. Her daughter tells Claudia never to call back and asks to speak to Ma. Claudia hangs up abruptly, but the phone rings immediately. Michael asks Claudia to come to his high school basketball game next Friday. He’d called to ask Ma’s permission first, and Claudia is excited, but she plays it cool, saying merely, “maybe.”

At the start of a new week at school, Monday and Claudia were teased about being gay. Monday brushed it off, but Claudia knew something more sinister was afoot. The bully pulled out his phone and showed them a picture on Facebook. Monday’s head was in Claudia’s lap—the image was taken when Claudia comforted Monday in the bathroom—and Claudia’s head was tilted back in a smile. The picture had garnered thousands of likes and hundreds of shares.

Claudia’s parents immediately came to the school, threatening to sue if the pictures weren’t removed. Ma fielded nosy calls, protecting the girls as much as she could. Claudia suspected that Jacob posted the pic, but Monday defended him, saying he wouldn’t do something like that.

During private solo dance practice, Ms. Manis stops Claudia mid-turn and asks if she’s okay. She tells Claudia a spark of emotion is missing in her solo. Claudia bursts out that the song is too slow. Ms. Manis responds, “In this life, you don’t always get what you want, but you must dance through it” (240). 

Claudia writes to Monday, saying she’s going to a game with Michael. She hears Monday’s voice in her head, helping her pick out what to wear. The idea of going to a high school game without Monday unsettles her, but she wants to step out and shine for herself. Ma helps her get ready and even lets her wear some makeup. 

Claudia starts to panic at the thought of walking in alone, but Michael finds her and escorts her in. She feels a spark of romantic tension as he helps her take her coat off. Claudia keeps reminding herself that this isn’t a date; Michael seems nervous, too. He invites her to come see him play football next year. The dance team comes out and Claudia is engrossed by their routine. Megan is there, dancing and smiling. Claudia misses the way that dancing used to feel fun. 

Suddenly, Claudia spies a sweater that she’d lent Monday last year, worn by someone sitting on one of the lower bleachers. Her heart skips a beat before she realizes it’s April. She’s with a boy who aggressively pushes her out of the gym toward the door to the back staircase.

Claudia rushes after April, tripping up one of the basketball players as she runs under the hoop. Claudia finds April about to have sex with the boy in an empty classroom. They leap apart when they see her. Michael joins Claudia. The boy, Keith, asks Michael if he’s robbing the cradle. Michael says no, she just goes to his church. Claudia is offended, pulling her arm out of his. 

Something unsaid flashes between April and Michael. He tells her she doesn’t even go to this school and is only there for “some dick” (248). Keith abruptly leaves, telling April he’ll see her later. Claudia feels terrible for humiliating April when she’s only trying to help her. She asks Michael to leave her and April alone. He’s disappointed but obliges. 

Claudia apologizes and again asks after Monday. Again, April tells her the same confusing lies. Claudia says she knows Monday better than April but April challenges her, asking what her sister’s favorite color was. When Claudia says pink, April insists it was purple, saying Monday lied to her about her favorite color because they both couldn’t have the same favorite. “Monday did anything you wanted ‘cause you was the only one stupid enough to be her friend. She didn’t have anyone BUT you. And that dude she fucked” (251). 

Claudia is shocked. She says Monday never slept with Jacob, but April says it was someone else. Claudia notices a burn on April’s arm. When she asks April about it, April shoves her to the ground, telling her again to stay out of her business. April then storms away.