Why does Starr have trouble making friends with people in her neighborhood of Garden Heights? What do the people in Garden Heights think of her and why?

Early in the novel, the author accentuates the conflict Starr feels between acting like “Williamson Starr” and “Garden Heights Starr.” Williamson Prep, where she goes to school, is a virtually all-white school, so Starr feels the need to change the way she speaks and acts in order not to be considered “ghetto.” Her race already makes her stand out in the homogenous environment, so she changes even small aspects of her personality to fit in at school. Back in her neighborhood, however, the very fact that she attends Williamson Prep makes her an anomaly again. Kenya and others complain that they never see Starr around, and imply that she thinks she’s too fancy for the neighborhood.