Grief
Josie’s friend and secret crush John have committed suicide. She has nowhere to turn to for comfort. Josie is in so much pain from this that she can barely pull herself together. The grief is too much for her to handle. John was the only person, she ever truly cared for and it breaks her heart that he killed himself and left her all alone. Josie regrets not acting on her emotions and telling John how she felt about him. Luckily, Jacob consoles her and gives her the ear and shoulder to cry on.
Struggles
Josie is struggling to keep up in the final year of school. She also has to deal with racism and harassment from other students. A lot of soul-crushing events have been happening this year, and she’s simply had enough. The guy she had a crush on committed suicide which left her feeling empty and alone. His estranged father suddenly appears in her life, and she doesn’t know whether to be thrilled or angry.
Growth
Josie is such a strong character evidently from how she always finds solutions to her aching problems. She puts a stop to the racial harassment by attacking one of the girls. Josie finds peace in John’s death and resolves her severed emotions. The most significant shift in her growth comes from how she perceived her father. At first, she is too angry and confused to make any progress in their relationship. After some needed space and time, Josie learns to open up to her father and let him be part of her life.
