Sitting in Spanish class as the substitute, I can watch the eyes of kids as they watch the movie. Nines and tens like to flirt with each other in all kinds of ways, but not exactly in ways that are sexual. They communicate with their eyes, as if they are watching each other as much as they are watching the film. I, in turn, with the same amount of ferocity, am watching them, I suppose.

They flirt with popularity, and they flirt with themselves, their personalities, as though watching a Spanish film is a chance to display a new version of themselves. Unlike seventh graders, each day is not a new start, and unlike tenth graders, they don't hold grudges for too long.