Summary A young girl with thick, red hair had recently moved with her parents to Cincinnati, Ohio. She was upset with her parents for taking her away from her home town and friends. Usually she spent time in her room, except for when she went to the supermarket. The moment the bag boy dropped her jar of mayonnaise, she fell in love. Even though they both liked each other, the never talked, and after a while they tried to avoid or ignore each other. Later they both went on with their lives and dated people. Then after a few months they ran into each other again at a movie theatre with their date. Neither one talked to the other, but simply acknowledged one another with small nods and a smile.

One conflict is when they moved to Cincinnati. She was mad at her parents for taking her away from her friends, and tried to convince them to take her back. Another conflict was the main character and herself – Person vs. Self. She loved the bag boy, but didn’t talk to him. She didn’t know what to say or how he felt. She struggled with how to handle the situation.

Setting Cincinnati, Ohio Recent times (2000’s) In the summer (no school is mentioned)

Theme General: Love. Growing up. Specific: It’s ok to give up on love; you can always find another. “When one is moving off the bus, the other is moving on.”

Literary Elements Hyperbole- “…she felt she was dying.” (because of moving) Simile- “Like a Tibetan monk in meditation, she calmed herself…” Image- “…the hair kept falling into his eyes…the tattered brown shoes he wore with no socks. And the left side of is collar turned in instead of out.” (What the boy looks like)

Critical Thinking Does the experience described in the story seem like a missed opportunity or a necessary outcome? Why do the boy and girl never act on their feelings?

The Quiz 1.What is the point of view? a. 1 st b. 2 nd c. 3 rd d. 4 th 2. Describe the bag boy when he first met the red headed girl. 3. How long was it before they saw each other again? a. 3 days b. 1 week c. a few months d. a year 4. Where did the bag boy and the girl run into each other with their date? a. school b. movie theatre c. mall d. bus 5. Did they ever talk to each other? a. no b. yes c. no, because they’re mutes d. no, they never saw each other again 6. What is the general theme? a. hate b. fear c. love d. destiny 7. Give an example of hyperbole from the story.

1. c 2. “…the hair kept falling into his eyes… the tattered brown shoes he wore with no socks. And the left side of is collar turned in instead of out.” 3. c 4. b 5. a 6. c 7. “…she felt she was dying.”