Part 7: Miranda

Miranda. She used to be one of Via's best friends in junior high. Then high school came. You know the story. You start high school with one group of friends and some of them drift away and you're not even sure why, you just stop being friends. I'm sure we've all been there. I know I have. For me, my Summer and my Miranda were the same person. She did so much for me in grade school, but then we got to high school and we both changed and our friendship couldn't survive the changes. But that doesn't mean she was a bad person, and Miranda's not a bad person either. Just as the theme is in this novel, we learn there is more to Miranda than meets the eye.

For awhile, I didn't know how I felt about Miranda. I liked her because she treated Auggie with love and respect and thought of him as her own brother. She even gave him an astronaut helmet when he was younger that he loved and wore everywhere. He knew people might stare, but it was a little more normal for a little boy to be wearing a helmet than to be wearing a face like his.

But then Via started high school and I wasn't so sure about Miranda anymore. Via said Miranda had changed her look--her hair was different and she wore more makeup--and she wasn't talking to Via anymore. I thought Miranda just wanted to be popular and was leaving Via behind, but it turns out there was so much more going on. Miranda's parents had gotten divorced the summer before ninth grade and her relationship with her mother was nonexistent, so she couldn't talk to her about how she was feeling. When she went to camp, she ended up lying about her family and telling everyone she had a little brother with a facial deformity. I think she was just ashamed to talk to Via and didn't think she'd understand.

So Miranda joined theater to be closer to Via. What happened was Via had convinced Justin to join theater, so he ended up landing the leading male role in the play, but Miranda was the one who landed the leading
female role while Via was made the understudy. I was so bummed, but Miranda had another surprise up her sleeve. Opening night came and she saw Via's family sitting in the fifth row of the auditorium and her mom was not in attendance, and she knew in her heart she had only one choice--so she told the director she was sick and Via would have to go on in her place. It was such a huge moment for both girls. Via got to perform for her family, but she also realized what a great girl Miranda is and that she never stopped caring.