56 pages • 1 hour read
Barbara DeeMaybe He Just Likes You
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 33-43Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 33 Summary: “Phone”
When Mila gets home, she hears her mom talking on the phone, arguing with Mila’s father. Mila’s mom says that she is “tired of waiting” and is “sick of feeling helpless” (130). She reminds him that Hadley and Mila are his children too, and she threatens to get a lawyer before hanging up.
Chapter 34 Summary: “Don’t”
Mila finds her mother “look[ing] like a crumpled tissue” (132) in the living room, and she knows that she can’t tell her mother about what happened with the boys and Zara. She makes a cup of tea for her mom, who admits that she won’t be getting a raise after all. Mila asks if her mother was asking their dad for more money. Her mother doesn’t want to discuss it, but she asks Mila to let her worry about the money situation and not to mention it to Hadley. Mr. Fitzgibbons, their neighbor who walks Delilah once a week and won’t accept payment, stops by. When he leaves, Mila’s mom tells her to remember that there are “true gentlemen in the world” (135).
Chapter 35 Summary: “Brochure”
On Saturday, Hadley reminds their mother that she promised to take them to Old Navy to shop for clothes. Their mother explains that she needs to hold off on shopping for a little longer because this “isn’t the best time to be spending money” (137), and Mila wonders if her mom is getting fired. Mila’s mom suggests they go to E Motions to take a few exercise classes instead. Mila decides to go to karate class to blow off some steam and forget her troubles.
Chapter 36 Summary: “Stretch”
Mila enters the karate class and is greeted by Ms. Platt and Samira once more. Samira teaches her how to stretch correctly, and Mila watches as the class fills with kids of all ages and backgrounds. As they go through the drills, Samira tells Mila that it’s a “good idea” she is taking karate “because of all that stuff with the boys at school” (142). Still, Mila isn’t sure what these mundane drills, bowing to the teacher, or the dance-like moves on the mat have to do with the bullying at school.
Chapter 37 Summary: “Business”
On Sunday morning, Mila’s mother wakes her up and tells her that she has to go to work “for a special meeting” (144), and when Mila pushes for more information, her mother admits that she might be getting fired. Her mother noticed a discrepancy in the company’s finances, and when she alerted the higher-ups, her boss became angry with her. She urges Mila to “not worry about stuff before it happens” (145), but Mila can’t stop thinking about it.
Chapter 38 Summary: “Jacket”
After Mila’s mom leaves, Cherish and Mrs. Ames arrive to pick Hadley up for a play date. Mrs. Ames invites Mila to join them on a walk to the park, but Mila declines. Hadley is upset because their mom was supposed to take them shopping for new clothes, but she broke her promise and now she isn’t home. Mrs. Ames explains that Hadley’s mom had some “important business to take care of” (147-48) this morning, and she is sure that their mother will take them shopping for new clothes soon.
Chapter 39 Summary: “Omi”
Omi arrives at Mila’s house and says she needs to talk to her about something. Omi has just come from church, where Hunter—Max’s old bully—showed her a scorecard that the basketball boys have been using. The boys can earn points for “saying things to [Mila], touching [her] body,” or touching “[her] clothes” (151). Omi is mortified, but Mila is unsurprised, especially when she remembers how the basketball boys congratulated Tobias for touching her butt. Hunter refused to send Omi the scorecard because he didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. Omi promises not to tell anyone, “not even Zara” (152), and she encourages Mila not to go anywhere alone. After all, maybe the game will get old, and the boys will stop on their own.
Chapter 40 Summary: “Fine”
Omi leaves, and Mila’s mother returns with her arms full of groceries. She announces that she quit her job because her boss was a jerk, and “this whole family deserves better” (154). Mila is unnerved by her mother’s exuberance, and when Hadley returns home and asks about going to Old Navy, Mila’s mother declares that not only are they going shopping, but they will be going to E Motions and then out to eat at Hadley’s favorite restaurant.
Chapter 41 Summary: “Game”
Mila’s mother buys lots of new clothes for the girls at Old Navy. Mila is “in a daze” (156) as she tries to wrap her mind around her mother quitting her job and the news about the scorecard with the boys. She becomes angry and wonders if “the whole seventh grade” knows about this—not just the boys but also the girls who “[make] [their] face[s] go blank” (157) when they see the harassment happening.
Chapter 42 Summary: “Breakfast”
On Monday morning, Mila’s mother is not in her usual rush to get the girls ready so she can drop them off at school on her way to work. She promises to start searching for a new job that day, but she also wants to take the girls to E Motions after school because exercise is “great for stress” (158). She reminds Mila to be on time and not stay late at school for any “projects.” Mila realizes that she might have to start riding the bus again, and the thought “[makes] [her] stomach knot” (159).
Chapter 43 Summary: “Apology”
Zara meets Mila outside of her homeroom class, and for a moment, Mila thinks Zara is going to apologize for her behavior on Friday. Instead, Zara waits for Mila to apologize. Mila decides that Omi is right, and Mila really needs her friends right now, so she apologizes for getting mad at Zara for just trying to help. Zara hugs Mila but doesn’t apologize for ignoring Mila’s feelings or flirting with Leo. Mila realizes that she “[can’t] tell [Zara] about the scorecard” (161) because Zara will not react well to the news.
Chapters 33-43 Analysis
When Mila feels helpless, she turns to karate to take her mind off of everything happening with her friends and the boys at school. Mila takes her second karate class, and for the first time, she goes through the motions and stretches, but she still doesn’t feel the same depth of confidence that students like Samira do. Mila has a hard time connecting the routine and discipline of the karate class to her problems at school. Still, Samira assures her that this is a good idea, and Mila has much to learn about the world of karate, self-defense, and finding her voice. Subconsciously, Mila also knows that the free membership at E Motions is only for two weeks, so she hesitates to become too attached to the karate class.
Mila’s home situation is becoming more strained, and her mother—raising two children alone without any support from their father—is visibly struggling to make ends meet. Up until this point in the novel, her mother was able to keep the family’s financial situation under control, but things are rapidly spiraling out of control. Mila knows things have been hard at her mother’s job recently, but she never knew why until Chapter 37. Her mother explains that she noticed something was wrong with the finances at her company, and her boss—who might have had something to do with the situation—started targeting her after the fact. Her mother tried to do the right thing and speak up, and she was punished for it instead of being commended. Like Mila, her mother is trying to figure out what to do in a situation where she feels completely helpless and alone, and when Mila’s mom quits her job, she is determined to find a better work environment where she is appreciated and treated fairly. Mila and her mom might be keeping the details of their struggles from each other, but they are both going through a similar battle to gain power and confidence, a struggle reflected in the theme of Finding Your Voice and Standing Up for Yourself.
Mila realizes that she can’t go to Mr. McCabe because without having the scorecard, there is no proof of what the basketball boys are doing. Omi hates confrontation, so Mila can’t count on her to step up and have people angry with her. Hunter refuses to get the basketball boys in trouble, and Zara will side with the boys, who will deny all allegations. Mila is stuck, and when she tries to talk to the guidance counselor, her concerns are dismissed. Although Omi is more supportive than Zara, even she places the responsibility on Mila to stop the bullying. Zara implies that Mila might be doing something to cause the boys to mess with her, and Omi encourages Mila never to be alone, which burdens Mila and her friends more. Survivors are often told they could have done more to prevent the harassment, and Dee illustrates this idea through Mila’s struggles.
