Emako Blue

Monterey’s friendship with Emako grows over the next month as the girls spend more time together. The day before Thanksgiving break, Emako invites Monterey to go to Melrose Street with her. In a small jewelry shop, Monterey admires a bracelet that has dangling moons and stars on it. She sees that it costs 35 dollars, but the girls do not have enough money between them for the bracelet. As Monterey and Emako eat dinner out at a restaurant, Monterey cannot help but feel “grown” (42).

On Saturday, Emako is at Monterey’s house. Monterey asks Emako about the status of her relationship with Jamal, but Emako tells her that they are just friends and that Savannah warned her about Jamal’s girlfriend, Gina. Monterey suggests that Savannah has an ulterior motive, but Emako feels bad for Savannah, who does not seem happy.

Emako explains that she, her mother, and younger siblings go visit her brother Dante each month for a few hours in juvenile detention. She admits to Monterey that she used to tell everyone that he had gone to Kansas, even though everyone knew she was lying. Now, she tells the truth, and “if anyone ha[s] a problem with that, then I ha[ve] a problem with them” (44).