My Brilliant Friend Lesson Plan

At the end of Chapter 18, Elena says, "We told each other everything, even the little things, and were happy." Do they seem happy? Why or why not?

Earlier in the chapter, Lila goes on about how everything that was bad in the past is still happening. Just one chapter earlier, Elena is glad for school to start so she won't be surrounded by Lila's opinions of how terrible the world is. And yet, Elena ends this chapter by succinctly claiming they were happy. The girls are still competing with each other—over boys or their studies or their emotions. This sudden moment of happiness may surprise readers. It feels like older Elena shines through here, like she is looking back on...