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Jasmine Jordan
One of the protagonists of “Water Booger Bears,” TJ is Jasmine’s best friend. He lives in a small house on Marston Street and has for the last six years with his “new mom,” Ms. Macy. He and Jasmine have been best friends since he moved into the neighborhood, which regularly attracts unwanted attention at school from kids who believe that boys and girls can’t just be friends. Jasmine loves TJ for his sense of humor and his fearlessness when it comes to all things disgusting, like dog poop and bugs. He’s always willing to smash bugs (and sometimes eat them), and he has no issue picking chewing gum off of the bottom of their shoes. His sense of humor has helped her get through her parents’ divorce as well as her hospitalization for sickle cell anemia. On the walk home during the story, TJ and Jasmine argue about boogers and TJ proposes that people are just big boogers—something that makes Jasmine laugh. The story implies that TJ’s humor, however, is a coping mechanism that he uses to deflect from possible anger issues and a painful past. The story never mentions a father figure, but the kind and engaged Ms. Macy is TJ’s third female guardian after an “old mother,” whom TJ describes as “scary,” and a “mother mother” TJ says he’s never known.
Terrence Jumper “TJ” Quotes in Look Both Ways
The Look Both Ways quotes below are all either spoken by Terrence Jumper “TJ” or refer to Terrence Jumper “TJ”. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
1. Water Booger Bears
Quotes
That made Jasmine spit air. See, even though TJ was ridiculous and annoying and sometimes gross, she appreciated the fact that he always made her laugh whether she wanted to or not. He was always there to chip some of the hard off. Tear at the toughness Jasmine had built up over the school year.
It had been a rough one for her.
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There was a hole in the screen door that had been there for years. TJ’s foot had done that. He said sometimes his feet get mad and do things like kick or stomp or run. Don’t blame him, he’d say. And Jasmine would laugh because his jokes were always funny even though she knew they were almost never jokes.
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Get the entire Look Both Ways LitChart as a printable PDF.
Terrence Jumper “TJ” Quotes in Look Both Ways
The Look Both Ways quotes below are all either spoken by Terrence Jumper “TJ” or refer to Terrence Jumper “TJ”. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
1. Water Booger Bears
Quotes
That made Jasmine spit air. See, even though TJ was ridiculous and annoying and sometimes gross, she appreciated the fact that he always made her laugh whether she wanted to or not. He was always there to chip some of the hard off. Tear at the toughness Jasmine had built up over the school year.
It had been a rough one for her.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
There was a hole in the screen door that had been there for years. TJ’s foot had done that. He said sometimes his feet get mad and do things like kick or stomp or run. Don’t blame him, he’d say. And Jasmine would laugh because his jokes were always funny even though she knew they were almost never jokes.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
