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2. The Low Cuts Strike Again
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Look Both Ways, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Perspective and Assumptions
Independence, Freedom, and Identity
Joy, Resilience, and Childhood
Fear, Friendship, and Support
Bullying
Summary
Analysis
Perhaps if Pia Foster had known yesterday that today would be different, she wouldn’t have grabbed her skateboard right after school and skated out, as usual. Maybe she would’ve apologized to her classmates when she ran into them, or maybe she would’ve stayed late and talked with Fawn Samms, the other skater girl at school. Maybe they would’ve skated in the parking lot after school, and maybe they would’ve watched videos of Santi doing skateboard tricks in a dress and heels. Maybe Fawn would’ve listened to what Pia said. Maybe Pia would’ve made different choices if she wasn’t so quiet and didn’t use her skateboard to yell for her. Her board’s name is Skitter, and Skitter uses feminine pronouns.
Writing this story in the conditional tense (saying that if Pia had known, things might be different) creates tension, but it also feels resigned. Something has happened, and it doesn’t seem like whatever happened was good. Indeed, whatever happened, the narration suggests, might have made Pia treat her classmates better. Pia, for her part, seems like a loner. She has a potential friend in Fawn, but it’s impossible to tell at this point who Santi is. Pia relies on her identity as a skater to speak for her, and with Skitter’s help, Pia feels bold and in control of her life.
Themes
Maybe yesterday, if Stevie Munson had known Skitter had a name, or if he’d known Pia’s name or known about Santi, he would’ve done something. Instead, the bell rings at Brookshire Boys Academy. All the boys’ shirts are stained, but Stevie’s is stained thanks to Marcus Bradford. Marcus writes on the back of Stevie’s shirt every day, since Stevie’s mom can’t afford a new uniform every year, so Stevie has to grow into his too-big shirt. His shirt is so big on him that Marcus can write on it without Stevie noticing.
Stevie is a regular victim of bullying, but it’s not quite clear how he’s connected to Pia—he goes to a different school than she does, after all. By noting that Stevie’s shirt is stained like his classmates’, but that it’s stained for a different reason, distances Stevie from his peers. It’s also possible that Stevie is different because of his economic situation—he and his mom are, perhaps, not as well off as the other families who attend Brookshire. It’s unclear, for instance, whether Stevie is the only kid who can’t afford a new uniform every year.
Themes
Had Pia known Stevie’s name yesterday, maybe she would’ve shaken Stevie’s hand and introduced herself. Maybe she would’ve seen how afraid he was, or maybe he would’ve noticed how scared she was. But either way, Pia would’ve put her house keys between her fingers like knives, just in case.
Whatever happened yesterday is frightening, for both Pia and for Stevie. But noting that Pia would’ve stuck her keys between her fingers suggests that what happened was scarier for Pia than it was for Stevie.
Themes
Stevie might not have even been “there” yesterday with Marcus and Marcus’s friends if he hadn’t decided to try to get Marcus to stop writing on his shirt. Stevie knew he couldn’t tell—Marcus had reminded him that “snitches get stitches and sometimes ditches” the other day after drawing a penis on Stevie’s shirt. But Stevie’s mom caught him bleaching his shirt and mentioned that bleach isn’t free. Stevie couldn’t tell her about Marcus, because his mom would scold him and threaten to call the principal. The principal knows what Marcus does and doesn’t care, as “boys will be boys.”
It’s not entirely clear why Marcus bullies Stevie, but he’s able to continue doing so for several reasons. First, Stevie is afraid of what will happen if he tells an adult: noting that “snitches” sometimes get “ditches” is a death threat. Then, Stevie also wants to impress his mom and not seem weak in front of her. Perhaps most importantly, though, the administration at Bradford doesn’t see Marcus’s bullying as a big deal. This leaves Stevie on his own to deal with what’s happening and to try to make it stop. And it seems likely that feeling so alone is what led to the bad outcome yesterday.
Themes
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In any case, Pia still would’ve taken that route home. She still would’ve ignored everyone, including Ms. Wockley yelling at her, and enjoyed her freedom. Pia never even listens to the crossing guard’s whistle, since on her skateboard, she doesn’t have to follow rules. In school, she spends her days dreaming about skateboarding while she scribbles Santi’s name on her desk. Rolling an ankle is better than, say, being called on in class to say something about a story Pia was supposed to read, but didn’t read because she doesn’t care. So Pia is always ready to leave school and skate down “Santi’s sidewalk.”
While Stevie sees the adults around him as ineffective and not worth asking for help, Pia sees adults as worthless figures who stand between her and her happiness and independence. When Pia skates, she’s in control and feels free—school is, for her, the exact opposite. The highlight of her day is when Pia gets to leave all that behind and skate. Part of this has to do with skating connecting her to Santi, though again, it’s still unclear what Santi’s relationship is to Pia.
Themes
Stevie, on the other hand, is never ready to leave school, since that means he has to get past Marcus and his friends. Once, they pulled Stevie’s tie so hard that Stevie had to cut it off his neck. He told Stevie’s mom he lost it instead and she got angry. Another time, Marcus threw a cup of water on Stevie’s crotch and then shouted that Stevie wet himself. Stevie was so embarrassed he actually almost wet himself. Marcus has also practiced his wrestling moves on Stevie after school while other boys record videos that go viral. But yesterday, Marcus and his cronies offered Stevie “freedom.”
When school is in session, Stevie is safe—Marcus doesn’t bother him in front of teachers, unless he’s writing on Stevie’s shirt. The worst bullying Stevie experiences happens after school, where there aren’t as many authority figures who could check Marcus’s behavior. Again, Stevie is clearly afraid of looking weak, which is why he doesn’t tell his mom what’s going on. It’s easier, he reasons, to take the abuse and lie to his mom than it is to admit he needs an adult to step in and help him.
Themes
Yesterday, Pia saw the boys, like she always does. The three boys usually step aside so she can skate past, but this time there were four in their green uniform jackets. Had Pia not known Marcus, she would’ve thought private school boys were good, with nice houses and green grass. But Marcus’s mom owns the salon where Pia gets her hair done, when Pia’s mom forces her. That’s usually just on holidays, and Pia only behaves if she can take Skitter with her and skate in the parking lot. She used to have to flip through the magazines that smell like Santi’s perfume, and once, Pia vomited from the smell.
Pia doesn’t enjoy getting her hair done; she’d rather be skating and enjoying her freedom. Being stuck in a salon chair seems repressive for her. But it does give her insight into who Marcus is, though that’s not yet entirely clear to readers. Further, knowing who Marcus is helps Pia check her assumptions about private school boys: she seems aware that Marcus isn’t a nice kid, despite attending private school. The salon also seems to remind Pia negatively of Santi, if Pia vomited from the smell of Santi’s perfume.
Themes
Pia used to skate around the lot and once, Marcus came outside and asked to ride Skitter. He promptly fell off and Pia didn’t laugh. She tried to help him up—but he couldn’t hide the split in his pants, dry his eyes, and take her hand at the same time. The only other time he came outside was two years ago. Marcus just sat and watched Pia angrily grind around the parking lot. That was the day Pia was getting her hair done in a French roll for Santi’s funeral. The hairstyle was itchy—and yesterday, Pia felt the same kind of itchy when she saw Marcus and his boys. This is because she knows Marcus. Two years ago, while Pia’s hair was drying, Pia’s mom asked Marcus’s mom when she was going to leave Marcus’s abusive dad.
Describing Marcus’s attempt to ride Skitter makes it seem as though Marcus hasn’t always been a bully. Once, he was willing to try new things. But the story implies that it was more important to him to dry his eyes and hide his split pants than it was to accept Pia’s help, which drove a wedge between them (and suggests that Marcus prizes looking powerful, since accepting Pia’s hand would mean admitting he needed help). But the story also shows that Marcus doesn’t bully people just for his own satisfaction: he is, perhaps, lashing out because of the violence he sees and maybe even suffers at home, since his dad is abusive. Then, the story reveals that Santi is dead. Pia perhaps hates the smell of the salon and the itchy sensation so much because she associates these things with Santi’s death.
Themes
Yesterday, Stevie realized the girl skating toward him, Marcus, and Marcus’s friends—Pia—was the target, and he immediately felt sick. Marcus said they were just playing a game, but Stevie refused to do anything to Pia. Marcus said that they’re not going to do anything to Pia—they’re going to take her board. So the boys lined up, and Pia chose not to hop the board into the street. It’s too dangerous to skate into oncoming traffic. She stopped in front of Marcus and flipped Skitter into her hand.
The price of the “freedom” that Marcus offered Stevie earlier seems to be helping him pick on Pia. This is abhorrent to Stevie, as he suffers enough bullying from Marcus and doesn’t want anyone else to have to suffer. Pia, though, seems resigned to her fate. She seems to reason that it’s easier to face the bullies than it is to risk her life skating into traffic. Knowing more about Marcus may also make her feel like she can come out on top of this situation.
Themes
Marcus asked Pia to borrow the board so Stevie could show them a trick. When Pia said Stevie didn’t look like a skater, Marcus stepped forward and dragged Stevie with him. Then, he grabbed Skitter, let go, and pushed Pia to the ground. Skitter flew out of her hand and into the street, where a car drove over it as the boys howled excitedly. When the car drove over it, it felt like Pia’s voice was breaking in half. Pia got up and ran, thinking of Santi—Santi died when a selfish boy, jealous that Santi was a better skater, pushed her into oncoming traffic. Stevie chased Pia for a while, but eventually stopped.
Pia is immediately aware that Marcus doesn’t want Skitter for innocent reasons; she realizes she’s a target. As far as Marcus and his cronies are concerned, Skitter getting run over is an exciting turn of events. But Skitter is one of the things that connected Pia to Santi. Skitter also allowed Pia to feel like she could advocate for herself and yell at people—now, she’s silenced. And this whole incident recalls how Santi was killed, which makes it even more traumatic for Pia. Boys, she’s seen, are jealous and petty, and they don’t think of how it might affect others when they do something like push a girl. This can be deadly, as Pia knows all too well. Stevie is, in Pia’s mind, guilty by association, which is why she runs from him. She has no reason to trust that he won’t try to hurt her even more.
Themes
Maybe, if Stevie had known what Marcus would tell him to do, he wouldn’t have come yesterday. Or maybe he would’ve stood up for Pia. But instead, Stevie picked the skateboard up out of the street. Marcus had already left. Maybe if Pia knew that Stevie had gone home and told Stevie’s mom everything—about Marcus, the bleach, his tie, his slipping grades—things would’ve been different. Stevie’s mom held back a scream, punished him, and helped him tape the board back together.
This traumatic experience has brought about a change in Stevie: he’s finally decided to be truthful with his mom about what happens to him at school. Telling her is the only way he knows to try to make amends for doing nothing while Marcus hurt Pia. But as the narration acknowledges, Pia has no way to know what Stevie has been suffering, or that he’s now trying to make things right. This means that Stevie doesn’t have the opportunity to fix anything.
Themes
Then, today, Stevie’s mom pulls Stevie out of school early after speaking to the principal. She’s too busy lecturing him to hear a radio announcer say that a school bus fell from the sky. She makes Stevie wait outside the school for Pia. Maybe if Pia had known that Stevie would be there to apologize, she wouldn’t have gone out the back door with Fawn. The girls walk to the cemetery to visit Santi’s grave, and Pia asks “hard questions” about boys.
The ending of this story is tragic: Stevie doesn’t get to apologize to Pia, so neither of them get closure. But it does offer hope that things might improve at school for Stevie, since he’s now asked his mom for help in making the principal take Marcus’s bullying seriously. And the fact that Pia is reaching out to Fawn for support and advice also suggests that Pia might now see the wisdom of building herself a support network—one that can help protect her from the boys who seem not to care about her and the other girls and women she loves.
Themes
