Some Girls Are (Pages 125 - 181): Discussion Post

Hey, guys!

I have on the blog today, the third discussion post for SOME GIRLS ARE! Can you believe it guys? We're almost half-way through the Read-Along! Craziness. I want to say a huge THANK YOU to you guys for participating. It's been such fun and I love seeing you guys enjoying the books so much! There's going to be (hopefully) lots of cooling things happening in the next little bit, including giveaways, so be sure to watch the blog!

If you haven't signed-up for the Read-Along and want to know what it's all about, check out this post! (If you want to start participating now, that's awesome! Just leave a comment on this post to let me know) And if you're participating and have a SOME GIRLS ARE post to link-up, make sure to add it here!

***WARNING: Spoilers for page 1 - 181 of SOME GIRLS ARE***

This week starts off with Regina and her mother going into an interview with the school. They want to discuss Regina's absences. Both Regina's mom and her school really frustrate me in this scene. Her mother, after Regina's minor meltdown in the car, should try and figure out what's really going on with her daughter. Instead, she creates a story in her mind (Josh breaking up with Regina) and clings to it. She doesn't want to see anything that could be hard to deal with. Same with the school. I mean, someone spray-painted "whore" on Regina's locker (among other things) and their only concern is that Regina is skipping school? It's ridiculous. But, kind of realistic. They don't want to see a problem, because then it becomes their problem. It happens all the time. What did you guys think? Should Hallowell High be doing more to stop the bullying?

Regina also does something pretty brazen in that opening scene. She slaps Anna. I was both cheering and internally screaming at that scene. Because I knew, just like Regina did, that the slap wouldn't go unpunished. (But that Anna sure has heck deserved it)  

This set of pages has one of the worst scenes (in my opinion) that happens in SOME GIRLS ARE. The closet scene. Regina ends up trapped in a closet with Donnie, put their by people who knew (or heard rumors) about what he had done to her. It is one of those scenes that shocks me to the core every time I read it. But, you know what? The closet scene is only about three pages long. Three pages. What astounds me about that is how much damage Summers' does in just those little pages. Because it sure as heck does not feel like three pages when you're reading it. It feels like twenty. It feels like you're being dragged along this endless, horrible journey. It's not just this short intense scene, but one that creates such horror it feels like it last hours. I know I thought about it a lot after reading it. Because it was like I could feel Regina's terror. Like her terror had become my terror. Courtney Summers' is a brilliant writer because she has this amazing ability to draw you right into the story. She doesn't do it by detailing everything, or by overdoing it with the emotion. Rather, she writes these powerful scenes where every sentence hits you in the heart, to the point where you can't always separate yourself from the book. The closet scene is one of those, and one that seriously ruins me every time I read it. How did you guys react to it? Were you as angry as I was that Josh, Kara, et al. put Regina in that situation?

Regina, now having escaped the closet (freed by none other than Liz Cooper), goes home and gets drunk and ends up passing out in Michael's backyard. Liz is also there, and she an Regina have a bit of an uncomfortable conversation. Drunk apologies don't really go a long way, and Liz doesn't let her Regina off the hook. But she doesn't seem to hate her either. They're at this weird kind of stalemate. There's nothing Regina can do that will erase the pain she's done to Liz. But, Liz isn't a horrible person (as she says "I'm not Anna") so she doesn't like watching Regina suffer either. This scene is short but it leaves you with the impression that, maybe, things could get better. Not to a friendship level. Probably never there. But maybe, that one day they could forgive. Did you guys have the same impression? Interpret the scene differently?

Michael really shines in this section, in my opinion, and I really enjoyed getting to see how their relationship evolves. Michael steals Donnie's car just so Regina can get a little bit of revenge on that jerk (I have many other words to describe him but I'm trying to keep this relatively swear-free). Then we get what, let's be honest, we've all been waiting for: the romantic Regina-Michael kiss. *cue the swooning here* It was perfect because it wasn't perfect. Because it shows us that people have the capacity to forgive. It shows us how powerful it is to forgive. It's that bright spot the story needed. What did you guys think? Did it give you the feels?

We leave off this part on a bit of a cliffhanger (if you stopped at page 181, of course)! Kara and Anna have upped the bullying, and Regina has had enough. She sends the email with all their secrets to everyone in school. Do you guys think it'll make a difference? Do you think Regina did the right thing? 

Next week, we're at the end! Tell me what you think of the book so far!

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight)