Dèja goes from refusing to complete writing assignments to closing her narrative with an essay, and this contrast embodies her growth throughout the novel. At the beginning, she fears that she’ll have to write an essay about her summer break, and she says, “I hope the teacher doesn’t say, ‘Write an essay about your summer vacation.’ If she does, I’ll leave the paper blank. Else I’ll have to lie. Say eviction is the best vacation […] I never lie. I won’t. It’s better to keep quiet” (6). Dèja comes to value her relationships with her family more, despite their housing situation, but she doesn’t feel comfortable in the beginning sharing more about her life because she thinks people will make assumptions about her as a person. This fear comes from experience that has made her more guarded.

However, Miss Garcia challenges Dèja when she doesn’t write an essay, emphasizing that “you can’t just refuse an assignment. Not turn it in. Sometimes I can change the topic. You don’t have to write about summer vacation. Or Avalon. But you need to practice writing, Dèja. It’s important” (38). She doesn’t let her off the hook the next time either, and Dèja, fearing that Miss Garcia will contact her parents, starts to write it during lunch.