Stargirl Chapter 26 Summary

  • Leo doesn't see Stargirl at school for a while, but then he hears Stargirl's voice come out of a stranger's mouth.
  • It's her. Stargirl has turned "wonderfully, gloriously ordinary" (140).
  • Everything "goofy" is gone, no rat, ukulele, outrageous clothing. Replacing these items are makeup and nail polish, big hoop earrings, and all other normal things that all other girls wear at the school.
  • Leo is over the moon. Shmoop, on the other hand, is feeling a little sad that all our girl's quirks are gone.
  • Even her name has changed. She's Susan now.
  • Susan and Leo do all the normal things that normal couples do now. They go to the movies and go out for pizza instead of looking at bulletin boards and going on missions.
  • Kevin says no one likes anchovies on pizza, so Stargirl takes hers off.
  • She starts shopping like a fiend. She buys and buys and buys—and all designer label clothing.
  • But Stargirl doesn't always know how to act, so she constantly quizzes Leo about what "everybody" would do in particular situations.
  • They even invent a name, Evelyn Everybody. She asks him, "would Evelyn to this?" to determine how she should act.
  • According to Leo, she is conforming pretty well, but every once in a while she hits a snag. For one, she laughs too much and too loudly sometimes. When Leo warns her about this, she replaces her laughter with the expression of a "sullen, pout-lipped teenager" (26.26).
  • Leo is so busy rejoicing in her normalcy that he doesn't notice that the shunning has kept right on going.
  • Finally, Stargirl says to Leo one day "They still don't like me" (142). She cries, wondering what she is doing wrong.
  • As they do homework at Stargirl's house that night, Leo sneaks a peek at her happy wagon.
  • There are only two pebbles left.
  • The next day, Susan sits in the school courtyard wearing a sign that reads, "Talk to me and I'll scratch your back." She has no takers. Everyone avoids her, and Leo quickly turns when he sees her. They never speak about this later.
  • The next day, she comes running at Leo in the courtyard and tells him that she had a vision. In her vision, she wins the state oratorical contest and returns to a hero's welcome. Everyone will be so happy, and she will be popular.
  • Leo starts to believe in her vision as well.