When You Reach Me Chapter 37 Summary

Things That Fall Apart

  • The next morning Miranda shoves the note under the door to the shop, but at lunchtime Jimmy still shakes his head no at them.
  • Colin makes a puppy dog face, and eventually Jimmy lets them in. He relents and says they can work there again.
  • Everyone claps and is overjoyed, but Jimmy adds one condition: no more "Swiss Miss" in the store (37.9).
  • Oh no. By "Swiss Miss," he's talking about Julia. He's using Miranda's name for Julia (because Julia always talks about Switzerland) as a racist term (because Swiss Miss is also brown hot chocolate and Julia has brown skin).
  • When Annemarie figures out what he means, she goes nuts and calls him a racist pig. Jimmy just shrugs and calls Julia a thief.
  • Annemarie runs out. Colin and Miranda follow. Annemarie asks Miranda if she's the one who started calling Julia racist names. Miranda tries to defend herself.
  • Annemarie points out that it's Miranda who would have needed the money anyway (because she's poor). Miranda denies she took it, and Annemarie stomps off.
  • Colin and Miranda go to get pizza, but it's no fun. She asks him if he took the two rolls, and he says yes. He adds that he didn't take the bank, though, because that would be stealing for real.
  • Miranda doesn't get to talk to Annemarie the rest of the day – and then school is over. Christmas vacation starts.