Holding Up The Universe

Libby visits the office of Heather Alpern, the coach of the Damsels, to ask for an application. She learns there are no spots available, and unless someone drops off the team, she will not be able to try out until January. Afterward, she runs into a boy named Sterling, who insults her weight. Bailey Bishop, a friendly girl whom Libby recognizes from her public school days five years ago, defends her. Bailey introduces Libby to another girl, Jayvee, and they become Libby’s first friends at Martin Van Buren High. Meanwhile, Jack attends his chemistry class, taught by Monica Chapman, the woman with whom his father had an affair. This creates obvious tension between the two, and after class, Jack goes to the school office to request a new teacher.

While Libby skips lunch to read her favorite book, Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Jack has lunch with his friends Kam Kaminski and Seth Powell. Seth tells Jack and Kam about “Fat Girl Rodeo,” a game he read about in which the objective is to throw oneself around “some fat girl” and hold on for as long as possible (80).