After Junior throws the book at Mr. P’s face, he visits Junior at his house. He says to Junior, “You need to leave this reservation. . . the only thing you kids are being taught is how to give up” (42). Junior feared being like every other Indian by giving up. So he made the bravest decision of his life. He decided to switch to the all-white high school, Reardan. Many people tried to convince him to say and got mad at him for leaving. Rowdy, Junior’s best friend, is a great example. As soon as Junior told him he was switching, Rowdy punched him right in the face. Rowdy is known for being the strong, scary, aggressive boy, who you wouldn’t want to mess with. Another example is Junior’s parents. They asked him many, many times if …show more content…
At first, everyone would make fun of his appearance and name. When Penelope found out he was from the reservation, she said, “Oh. . .that’s why you talk so funny” (61). Junior was sick of having everyone pick on him. So he finally went up to a boy named Gordy and straight-up said to him, “I want to be your friend” (94). At first, Gordy was surprised and didn’t know what to say. But soon after, Gordy and Junior became friends. Gordy taught him that learning is an amazing thing. Gathering the courage to ask Gordy if he wanted to be friends overcame Juniors fear of being alone, friendless, and not having anyone there for him through the difficult