The original chapter is "La Lengua" which is Spanish for "language" or "tongue." This will be (sort of, but not really) important later.
Tookie heads back towards the dorms, wondering about what just happened. She does that a lot. Just thinks about things that happened without actively doing anything. It's incredibly annoying.
Tookie thinks about how wonderful it will be to tell her friends about what just happened. People are still distraught and hysterical about the announcement, except for Kamalini. As always, her Headbangor keeps her stoned out of her mind so she's unaware of her surroundings. (The text never explicitly calls it being stoned, but I'm calling it like I see it.)
Suddenly, Zarpessa comes out of some bushes.
Tookie says that she never told Zarpessa's secret. Zarpessa says she knows and that she asked Doctor Erica about it.
"First you want me to keep it a secret, now you want me to tell?" Tookie threw up her arms in confusion. "Whatever happened to you is your business. But your harsh reality is still no excuse to be evil, Zarpessa."
That is some extremely awkward dialogue.
No, it's a place that has it as official policy that love is outlawed, all previous friendships and family should be forgotten, and breaking rules can lead to a death penalty. That's not a fresh start. That's a police state.
Zarpessa gives a half-hearted thank you, but tells Tookie not to dare think that they've bonded or that she likes Tookie. Zarpessa then demands to know what Tookie was saying about Theophilus at the OrbArena.
Yeah, that would involve telling the truth, and Tookie doesn't like doing that.
Zarpessa tells Tookie to stay away from Theophilus and her. She then leaves. She hears the bushes rustle and assumes that it's Zarpessa again.
Instead, Webb, Alexander, and O'Neil come out of the bushes and surround Tookie. Tookie momentarily panics before getting hold of herself.
"Tookie, wait," Webb said, grabbing Tookie's hand. And in a split second, all three boys stripped off their uniform shirts, revealing tan, mahogany, and golden skin and sharply defined pectoral and abdominal muscles.
O.O
I'm not sure I like where this is going . . .
Tookie tells them to leave her alone. Then she realized that there is red paint on their chests.
I'm So, Alexander said.
And O'Neil's said Sorry.
The boys then turn and show words on their backs as well: "It Was Never A Bet."
Bravo then appears, wearing a velvet tuxedo. He thanks his friends for helping out, and they put their shirts on and leave. (Wait, didn't they make fun of Tookie earlier? What changed their minds? Tookie attacking Bravo during ManAttack?)
Bravo tells Tookie that it was never a bet.
She did use you. And lied to you.
He tells Tookie that he felt vulnerable, and that architecture at Modelland wasn't enough to make him want to stay without Tookie there. So his life dream was worth less to him than a relationship with someone he barely knows?
Tookie then realizes that Bravo is attempting to recreate the absurd story she made up about how she wanted her first kiss to go. He tells her he wants to show her something.
Wait, Modelland and Bestosterone border each other? Why haven't we heard this before? Or did I miss it somehow?
Whatever.
He planted a miles worth of flowers? I have trouble believing that three guys could plant that many flowers in a day, even if they are magic insta-grow cloth flowers (which they are). He then starts singing a song that he made up for her. For once, the book acknowledges that the song sounds horrible. Tookie tells him that he doesn't need to sing.
Not really. She's not a very good person, what with the kleptomania, chronic lies, lack of empathy, abandoning a self-harming friend (twice), and . . . well, you get the idea.
Tookie tells him that he should be mad because she hit him and left. She doesn't actually apologize, just tells him that he should be "pissed." He just says "but you came back" and apparently that's enough for him. Um, are we supposed to interpret this like an abuse victim returning to their abuser? Because that's the vibe the text is giving me.
Tookie then assures Bravo that Theophilus isn't her boyfriend. Bravo sings some more.
Giving? Loving? Pure and sweet? He's obviously talking about some other Tookie.
I think we've seen Tookie injure the guy enough, thanks.
Tookie then tells him that she wants to tell him a story about a girl named Tookalatta. She tells him that Tookalatta was never noticed by everyone and felt like she was defective. That she wanted love and collected "a random item from a boy she liked." (Read: the button she fished out of the trash.)
Call me a cynic, but neither of them are acting like they actually love each other.
Lust after each other? Sure. Are obsessed with each other? Definitely. Like each other as people? Maybe.
But love? They barely know each other. I can't recall a single thing they have in common aside from their mutual attraction. Normally, I'd just attribute this to being from their point of view . . . but I honestly think that we're supposed to think this is some deep and profound love. But it's not. It's really not.
Bravo kisses her forehead, cheeks and nose. He then sprays whipped cream in her mouth. They kiss.
Now that I buy as a genuine reaction. Tookie's awkward and never kissed anyone before. Bravo immediately sticking his tongue in her mouth would realistically result in her reacting like that.
She tells him that it feels weird.
Bravo nodded, pulling his body slightly away from hers. "We can go as slow as you want, Tookie. You will set our pace ... always."
They make out for about the last page of the chapter, without tongue this time.
She didn't need it anymore.
Decent idea for character growth — showing her letting go of her past crush — but the execution is lacking.
Well, we've got a lot of dangling plot threads and only an epilogue to resolve them in.
Will Hunchy arrive? Will Tookie's true parentage be revealed? Will Piper's mother ever declare war on Modelland for kidnapping her underage daughter? Will we ever learn about the underground civilization of "freaks" that makes up Modelland's non-model population? Will we ever get some rules for the magic? Will we ever find out how much authority the BellaDonna actually has?
Tune in next time. Maybe we'll find out. Or not.
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