Entry #1

"The Cheerleading Captain"

Hi, I am Sofía and I will be talking about my thoughts about the book She Drives me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen.

In the first chapter, we are introduced to the character of Irene Abraham by Scottie's past experience with her. Scottie tells that, last year, Irene pulled a prank on her by having Scottie's car towed. She is described to be the "quintessential queen bee". She is a beautiful Indian-American girl, with dark eyes, dark hair, and a mysterious scar. Her classmates seem to admire her a lot, as they voted her "Best Hair" and "Best Smile" for the yearbook's senior superlatives.

I find it interesting how, even before I have met her properly, the narrative already has a negative association with her. However, when I finally meet her, she seems reserved. She keeps to herself and does not interfere in Scottie’s business, leading her friends away. I see there can be two interpretations. Either she pulled her friends away in order to give them privacy, or she just did not care about Scottie and Tally. Either way, I cannot hate her yet, although Scottie’s towing story makes me feel conflicted.

In the second chapter, we are able to see more about Irene thanks to the car crash. She seems very preoccupied with her parent’s reaction--which is understandable.A curious thing is how she prevents Scottie from assuming blame, even if it is beneficial for her. I can also tell she really does not trust people at all, as she is paranoid on Scottie’s behalf and tells her other people might take advantage of her.

Then, we are introduced to her mom. She is a lawyer, and I think that could be why she was so adamant that Scottie did not take the blame--maybe she knew because of her mother. However, the relationship with her mother seems tense. Her mom accuses her of not paying attention, and blames it on her cheerleading. It is obvious her mom does not care, and does not take her daughter’s passion seriously. She makes this apparent various times.

An interesting thing is Irene’s reaction to the car-towing story, or the mere reference to it. This could be interpreted in two ways: either she genuinely feels guilty about it--as Scottie’s interpretation of her facial expression is; or she is just scared of what her mom would think. I am more inclined to think it is the former, but it might just be because I want to like her. We see her again at the end of chapter two, or we listen to her more like, as she calls Scottie to arrange tomorrow’s carpool. She speaks in a dry manner, as if she is perpetually bothered, I noticed.

"Irene merely stood in the center of the yard, hands in her pockets, with a cool expression on her face."

In the third chapter, we see her as Scottie arrives to take her to school. By the way they converse, I can tell Irene has noticed Scottie in the past, and not only because of the car-towing incident. An important aspect of her character is revealed here. When Scottie accuses her of not being smart, she explodes. She not only demonstrates she is more than smart enough for Scottie, but also that she is aware she is not taken seriously because of her passion for cheerleading. She really does not like that people make assumptions about her.

As they arrive at school, Irene’s popularity is once more asserted by showing how much everyone cares about her business. However, the most interesting thing happens at the last hour, when some people are joking about Scottie being Irene’s driver. Irene “rates” Scottie a three, while Scottie “rates” her a zero. Here I can see the degree with whom Irene sees Scottie, and vice versa. Scottie really dislikes Irene, therefore she is a zero. On the other hand, for Irene Scottie is just a three: not above average, not below it. To her, Scottie just feels average, meaning she just sees her as one classmate more. And in the last scene, again, her popularity shows as she brings her whole cheer squad and some more friends to Scottie’s practice.

I am very interested in seeing the real Irene, not the one perceived by Scottie. I am also intrigued by the reason why Irene had Scottie’s car towed if she does not feel strongly about her.

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