How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Stanza)
Quote #7
I tried cheering for Mad Dog with everyone else, / but my throat / felt like a trap had / snapped down on it. / That Mad Dog, he didn't have / a thing to worry about. / He sang good, all right. / He'll go as far as he wants. (93.5-6)
Billie Jo's mind is so clouded by her desire to get away that she can't even be happy when something good happens to her friend. In this case, her bad feelings toward Mad Dog stem from a couple of different reasons—while she's jealous that Mad Dog is playing music when she can't, she's also envious of him getting a ticket out of Oklahoma.
Quote #8
The poppies set to / bloom on Ma and Franklin's grave, / the morning with the whole day waiting, / full of promise, / the night / of quiet, of no expectations, of rest. (108.1)
This whole chapter, titled "Thanksgiving List," actually demonstrates how much Billie Jo has grown throughout the book. Rather than being thoroughly dissatisfied with her environment and having itchy feet, she now finds tons of things to be thankful for in spite of the difficulties she's faced.
Quote #9
And I know now that all the time I was trying to get / out of the dust, / the fact is, / what I am, / I am because of the dust. / And what I am is good enough. / Even for me. (109.2)
Like most fourteen-year-old girls, Billie Jo is pretty critical of herself. Realizing that she needs to accept herself for who she is and see her hardship as something that's strengthened her are pretty huge epiphanies.