A Very Large Expanse of Sea

Shirin is excited to attend a breakdancing battle as a spectator. She reflects on her parents’ strictness with her and contrasts it to their generous attitude with Navid’s social activities. While she finds this double standard frustrating, it is helpful that she’s with Navid for breakdancing activities because her parents give her more freedom, such as attending the battle. The crew has high hopes of eventually competing in their own battles, nationally or internationally. For Shirin, being a breakdancer or “b-girl” will “hone a new facet of [her] identity” (75).

The battle is inspirational to Shirin. No one judges her appearance, as she is “surrounded by diverse bodies and faces” (76). Participants and spectators care only about the talent and skill of the breakdancers. At home, she excitedly tells her mother about it, but her mother tells her to finish her homework. Instead, Shirin practices the crab pose in her bedroom.

Shirin takes a class called Global Perspectives, which is discussion-based—“no exams; no homework assignments” (78). The teacher, Mr. Jordan, usually poses topics for small group discussion. Today, however, Mr. Jordan tries to exemplify interpersonal dynamics by having Shirin and a boy named Travis stand and look at each other in front of the class. Mr. Jordan enthusiastically demands of Travis, “I want you to tell me exactly what you think when you look at Shirin” (80). Travis fumbles his words and says he does not know, but at Mr. Jordan’s continued prompting, he finally says he sees nothing: “It’s like she doesn’t exist for me” (81). Mortified, Shirin grabs her books and flees. Ocean follows her to see if she is okay. She questions how he knows about Mr. Jordan’s experiment and is shocked when Ocean says he has been in the class since the start of the year. The two decide to skip the rest of class. 

Shirin and Ocean walk to IHOP, a pancake restaurant. As he smiles at her, she scrambles to replace her emotional barriers, panicking at how attracted she feels to him. In an outburst, she demands to know why he keeps getting near her and what he wants. She tells him that if he is being nice out of pity, she wants him to stop. She prepares to leave, but he tells her that he thinks she is “cool” and “really goddamn beautiful” (89). Shirin is shocked and speechless. She stays and they get pancakes.

Ocean and Shirin talk about movies while they eat. On the return walk to school, they have a much deeper conversation. Ocean mentions wanting to see more of the world; Shirin tells him she’s ready to stay in one place. Shirin shares that her parents moved the family back to Iran when she was eight; she did not like the city school there, as it included spoiled children of Tehranian diplomats, but she enjoyed the small village school when they lived in a more rural place in the north. The conversation turns to Shirin’s headscarf, and she clarifies to Ocean that she wears it not because her parents force her to but because she likes the control it gives her over how others see her. He mentions he can see a bit of her hair anyway because she wraps the scarf a bit loose, and Shirin teases him: “Well, I mean, that’s usually all it takes. Guys see an inch of my hair and they just, you know […] lose their minds. And then it’s just, like, marriage proposals, all over the place” (96). It takes Ocean a moment to realize she is joking. Shirin also says she wants others to “be normal around [her]” (97). Ocean tells her that others find her beautiful but intimidating and suggests that some people might watch her for those reasons. 

At lunch, Shirin goes to an outside space on campus, planning to sit under a tree where she typically has privacy. Today, however, an older boy Navid’s age sits there. Yusef is Muslim and Lebanese. She thinks he is good-looking. He comments that her choice to wear the headscarf is brave. Ocean is not in biology class that day. After school, Navid questions Shirin about skipping class, telling her he heard from Mr. Jordan (who, Shirin learns, is also their breakdancing club sponsor) that she left class with a boy. Shirin clarifies what really happened, and Navid and the crew are sympathetic. Shirin tries to ask Navid privately if he thinks she is pretty, but Navid turns the question over to Bijan, Jacobi, and Carlos, who collectively tell Shirin she is indeed pretty but also “scary” and intimidating. Jacobi counsels Shirin that it’s understandable to feel anger when others treat her with intolerance, but that not everyone feels that way, and that the best way to irritate those who bother her is to show happiness.