Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of bullying, physical abuse, and mental illness.

Targets of bullying experience myriad repercussions of constantly being targeted, many of which affect their mental health. Piddy is no exception as she experiences emotional turmoil, focuses only on survival, and falls into depression and self-doubt. No longer a confident and ambitious young woman, Piddy struggles emotionally since being bullied. When Ms. Shepherd stops her in the hallway, Piddy thinks, “It’s as if she’s talking to someone else. I don’t feel anything like the kid Ms. Shepherd hoped for a few weeks ago. The fact is I’m losing my shine in her eyes” (77). Piddy acknowledges feeling like a different person. A few weeks ago, she possessed a “shine,” with both exemplary academics and happiness. By noting the loss of this, Piddy admits Yaqui’s impact, which causes her to withdraw from things she used to enjoy. This attitude shift is also evident when Piddy argues with her mother. She reflects, “I wish I could eat my ugly words. I’ve never been so mean to her, but now all I want is to make her feel small. I need her company down here at the bottom of this pit” (83).