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Gabi’s poem, “Boys Will Be Boys,” is an explanation of what the meaning really means behind that phrase. Gabi first started off about wearing a tiny dress to a party, and to also be careful, as for the last part when Gabi said, “boys will be boys,” she’s basically saying that your dress is an easy option for a boy to make a move. Small dresses, are like speaking for you, and its giving boys the signal that you want to be talked to, and the dress is making males be approachable towards you. And that’s what Gabi was saying for that first started part of her poem. For the second portion, Gabi writes that a girl gets too drunk, and made herself look easy. And plus, I remember Gabi said that the girls are wearing a dress or she’s talking about you,  and Gabi said, “you just made it easier.” Which your drunken self will be taken advantage of. Throughout down the list of Gabi’s, “Boys Will be Boys” poem, she wrote what’s to be most important in her poem, she stated facts that were very devastating, as what Gabi wrote, “it’s your fault. Even if you're disabled, old, or young. You should know better.” Gabi’s poem was straightforward that everything that happens to women is their fault, doesn’t matter what age limit you are, boys will be boys, and they can do whatever they please. It’s important that readers of, “Gabi, A Girl in Pieces,” would learn something out from Gabi’s pome, it’s because it says a lot of stuff that boys will still continue their shenanigans and it can misguide them to think its right.

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"INSTRUCTIONS FOR UNDERSTANDING WHAT BOYS WILL BE BOYS REALLY MEANS

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"INSTRUCTIONS FOR UNDERSTANDING WHAT BOYS WILL BE BOYS REALLY MEANS

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1. You’re wearing that little dress tonight? Remember, boys will be boys, so be careful.

2. If you drink way too much, your body is fair game for anyone or anyone's. Boys will be boys, and you just made it easier.

3. When a girl says no, you might want to consider your position. I don’t think she meant yes. But I’m a girl, so what do I know? But because boys will be boys, you don’t really have to think about it.

4. If she is crying, that is definitely a sign that she means no. But since your an asshole, you won’t give it a second thought, so proceed. She was wearing that little dress (remember?), and boys will be boys, after all. That’s what our parent’s say.

5. It’s not rape if she said yes first. Everyone knows that. She’s your girlfriend and obviously, she knows that boys will be boys, otherwise she wouldn’t have teased you.

6. Because boys will be boys, he’s not going to use a condom (he likes the real deal), so you might just get pregnant. But hopefully, you won’t get AIDS or herpes or chlamydia. So you should feel good about that. Besides, babies are cute.

7. If he doesn’t beat you up, then it’s not really rape. Everyone knows that too. Also, he wasn’t a stranger. He was someone you cared about, just a boy being a boy.

8. Remember how your mother warned you that boys only want one thing from you? Well, it’s not your straight A’s or your excellent drawing skills or your extensive knowledge of action films. It’s the thing you have guarded (hint: it’s between your legs) your whole life from everyone: your cousin who came to stay for two weeks, your strange uncle Tony, that teacher in the 2nd grade-they were all just boys being boys.

9. It’s your fault. Even if you're disabled, old or young. You should know better.

10. Boys will be boys"(229, Quintero).

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Gabi wrote in her journal entry that she feels sorry for her best friend, Sebastian. How he tried to feel something with girls, but he couldn't help from what he feels, and he confronted his feelings to Gabi how he prayed to God to make him like girls but he didn't. Gabi has been a supportive friend to Sebastian, and I felt the heaviness from what Sebastian is feeling and Gabi's emotions for her best friend.

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"Sebastian also told me some other things that made me sad. He told me how he had always known he was gay, but how he had tried to be straight. How he stared at boobs and tried to feel something. How he even pretended to have a crush on Sandra. How he prayed every night, pleading, 'make me love girls, make me love girls,' but God didn't listen. I try to imagine Sebastian on his knees, crying and praying and nobody answering"(22, Quintero).

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This stood out to me in the book, its cause I can relate to Gabi's annoyance from the questioning by folks about you nationality. Although, Gabi has a lighter skin tone than me, she is questioned is she's white, as for me, people also thinks I'm white as well but mix with another race. But I'm just like Gabi, I'm Mexican-American. Its funny and sad at the same time that Gabi's mom would worry about Gabi being too American/white washed. Because in my family, they say that I'm already white washed.

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"Being Mexican-American is tough sometimes. Your allegiance is always questioned. My mom constantly worries that I will be too Americana"(34, Quintero).

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“Dear Eric,

I enjoyed the moments we spent together out in the hallway. And by the gym. And in your car. And by the photography classroom. Your breath smelled divine. I like how you remembered to chew some gum before getting really close to me. I obviously forgot as you could smell by the aroma of Hot Cheetos emanating from my soft luscious lips that one time last week. Anyway, I want to tell you how much I like you. I don’t I would, or should, use the word love because that is reversed for special occasions. Not to say that you are not special, just not that special-yet. When I see you, I want to run to you and hug you and throw you up against a wall and feel the wetness of your lips. I want to stroke your hair and hold your hand and walk with you at lunchtime and have people say, ‘Is he really going out with her?’ Maybe that fat girl ain’t so bad after all, they think. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I don’t want to lie to you either, I believe in honesty. Don’t you”(64, Quintero)?

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Eric is Gabi's first love interest and these moments she had with Eric is something that she'll remember, and plus she writes letters to him in her diary entries, and it makes the middle of the book sweet. Its a meaningful part of Gabi's life that I like about, she's showing her feelings towards to someone she thought she may not be with. And she's feeling the happiness she has in this relationship, and it is important to remember the little things even when things don't turn out to be okay.

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The saying that Gabi's aunt said to Gabi to not eat another taco because she wouldn't get a boy, was a trigger. Its critical to know that Gabi suppresses her body image most of the time, since Gabi wrote in her diary entry that she wanted to lose some weight. The importance about this text is that you can eat how much you'll like because nobody cares, food is amazing and we should just all eat as if the world is going to run out of food.

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“Gabi, don’t eat another taco. You’ll never find a boy like that”(42, Quintero).

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“He’s an idiot. German is one of those guys who knows he’s super hot and assumes that girls HAVE to like him. Like, if he asks a girl out and she says no, he’s one of those guys who will say stupid things such as, ‘well, fuck you, stupid bitch-I was trying to do you a favor.’ One of those gems. What he doesn’t understand is that we don’t like him. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beauty queen like Cindy (tall, thin, beautiful olive skin and curly brown hair) or if you’re me (short, plump, long straight hair, and super light-skinned), if we don’t like you, well, we don’t like you”(14, Quintero).

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When Gabi said the simplest part of her diary entry was when she noted that she wanted to lose some weight. Since living in a home with a strict parent, can be overwhelming for Gabi. Especially when her mother compares to her to Sandra, and also wanting Gabi to wear dresses but Gabi honestly doesn't like dresses. But whats also to understand about this simple entry, is that, losing weight for somebody else or for society isn't going to end well for yourself. If your doing this for yourself, its okay. Because hoping that Gabi knows she's doing this for herself and not for others or the pressure from people, its okay.

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"Note to self: lose some weight. It is senior year, after all"(9, Quintero).

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This part of the text of, “Gabi, A Girl in Pieces,” is about German, the father of Cindy’s child. It shows the importance of ignorance of boys in high school, to think that popular and good looking boys should be okay thinking that girls would fall for them. Especially when Gabi describes girls like Cindy and girls like her, are not options and or choices to try to get with. Also, German is overly disrespectful when girls turns him down, he goes out of his way and trash talks to a girl he tried to ask out and stated that he was too important and or too hot to get rejected. This piece is important to understand the fact young men shouldn't be harassing young women like the way how Gabi said about German.

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Gabi's mother doesn't understand why Gabi stopped being close friends with Sandra. Gabi tried to tell her mother that her friendship with Sandra wouldn't work out, since Sandra would make her feel less about herself and make Gabi look stupid in front of people and of course, boys. Gabi goes on and says that Sandra cares about clothing brands and Gabi wishes to dress something in style, but knows whatever clothing Sandra gets are too much. Understanding that Gabi wants to fit in, its natural. And its also important for adolescents in junior high and high school that are still trying to figure out who they are by simply looking at fashion and or trying to see which crowd they belong to. Although, its important to see where you stand and Gabi knows, getting rid of Sandra has to be done when she's going to make Gabi feel less.

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“When I used to be friends with Sandra, my mom was (and sometimes even now) always comparing me to her. She can’t seem to understand why I’m not friends with her anymore. I try to explain, but she just doesn’t get it. There are things I can’t tell my mom either. I can’t tell her how Sandra used to make me feel like shit. Especially around boys. Boys like her skinny hips, big butt, long hair, white teeth, big smile, and stylish name-brand clothes. Because the price is no object when you’re a Sandra”(32, Quintero).