Chapter 10

After the holidays, Kevin and Leo ask Stargirl to appear on Hot Seat, and she readily accepts. Leo is surprised, then he realizes that, behind all the crazy clothes and the outrageous actions, Stargirl is more normal than he ever thought possible. It is mid-January and the big interview is scheduled for February 13. Leo’s reluctance is gone, and he promotes the event wholeheartedly. Posters are made, questions are written, and a jury of peer questioners for the live show has volunteered. “And then things changed again.”

Outside in the courtyard of Mica High School stands a five-foot-tall plywood roadrunner that serves as a bulletin board for announcements and messages. This morning there is an odd notice. It is a mockery of the Pledge of Allegiance (including lines such as “with justice and black beans for all”) with a comment that this is how Stargirl says the Pledge every day. No one appears offended, and several students are heard reciting the irreverent pledge the next day.

Shortly after, a new story circulates the halls at MAHS. A senior girl named Anna lost her grandfather and noticed Stargirl crying in the crowd at the gravesite service. Later, at the house, Stargirl is seen not eating but visiting with people in the crowd. Anna’s mother notices her, accuses her of crashing the funeral, and demands that Stargirl leave immediately, which she does.

Then there is the Danny Pike incident. Danny is a nine-year-old who rode his bike into a mailbox, broke his leg, and then developed a blood clot in his leg. His homecoming is exciting and is captured in a newspaper photo. In the foreground is a “welcome home, Danny” sign next to a shiny, new bicycle. A few days later, the article is on the roadrunner bulletin board with a red arrow pointing at one of the ecstatic faces in the crowd. It is Stargirl, of course. Soon after the homecoming, the family begins to wonder who bought the bike. When they realize that none of them bought the bike, the fallout begins and the bike ends up with the trash one night. By the time the garbage collectors come in the morning, the bike is gone. Instead of a bike, Danny gets a BB gun. The students at Mica High know who gave Danny the bike.

These three events are noted but do not particularly affect Stargirl’s reputation; however, cheerleading and basketball are ahead.

Chapter 11

Basketball season begins, and Stargirl does her typical things: she makes up silly cheers, she cheers in front of the visitors’ section, and she cheers for every basket—even those made by the other team.

No one is surprised because ever since Stargirl has been a cheerleader she has cheered for everything, even things as mundane as someone picking up a candy wrapper from the floor and throwing it away. While her cheering makes a spectacle of the good deed-doer, it is also a great feeling for those who usually go unnoticed in their daily pursuits. Stargirl’s noticing makes them feel good about themselves.

Everyone understands and accepts Stargirl, and in any other year things would have been fine. This year, however, the Electrons are doing something they have never done before—they are winning, and they are winning every game. After last season’s 5–26 record, no one expects much from this season; but by the end of January they are undefeated, and that changes everything:

One day we were bored, indifferent, satisfied losers; the next we were rabid fanatics, stomping in the grandstand, painting our faces green and white, and doing...