The Best at It

Chelsea is an important side character and Rahul’s best friend. She is a white seventh grader with short, blonde hair. Chelsea helps him in his quest to become the “best” at something but continuously reminds him of his value, cultivating a safe and supportive space for him. When Rahul changes his audition questionnaire so that his features seem whiter, Chelsea expresses her disapproval and tells him to be himself. At the audition, when Rahul is dismissed because of his race, Chelsea is Rahul’s loudest advocate, correcting their pronunciation of his name, asking why they can’t rethink the commercial to make it more inclusive, and eventually taking the information to adults more qualified than her to address the problem, telling her dad and Rahul’s mom that they “discriminated against Rahul” (163).

Rahul does not consistently offer Chelsea reciprocal support. When she hints that she wants to invite David to the dance, he grows jealous. Chelsea is the first person Rahul comes out to, though when Rahul finds out that their conversation has been eavesdropped on, he grows angry at her, saying that he doesn’t “ever want to talk about this again” (267). Tension between friends while Navigating Bullying and Mental Health as a Teen and Figuring Out and Accepting One’s Identity is normal; Rahul finally reciprocates Chelsea’s care when he realizes his mistakes and apologizes to her, mending their friendship.

Justin is a side character and Rahul’s childhood friend. Justin is white and has light brown hair, and Rahul often notices and envies Justin’s biceps and height. He thinks Justin is “perfect” and idealizes his features (9). Though Rahul doesn’t initially know this, Justin also struggles with Figuring Out and Accepting One’s Identity. He admits to Rahul that he was “nervous” auditioning for the commercial (198), which shocks Rahul, who has an idealized picture of Justin in his mind, and he finds Rahul’s math skills “amazing” (200).

Though Justin continues to hang out with Brent, who he knows through football, he defends Rahul against Brent’s attacks. When Rahul and the Mathletes’ win is announced to the school, Justin—who sits in “the cool-kids’ section” (256)—is the first to stand up and applaud after Chelsea. This leads to a standing ovation. Though he is a “cool kid,” Justin holds no stereotypes about “nerds” and thinks that their academic skills are cool. He is thus one of the first to publicly reach out to bridge the divide between the popular kids and Mathletes, whose interests are united at the end of the novel at the International Bazaar.

Brent is the novel’s primary antagonist and fits the standard archetype of a school bully. Rahul describes Brent as his “worst nightmare” (7). Physically, he has “splotchy red skin, a million freckles, dirty-blond hair, and a sweaty, hulking body that is way too big for a twelve-year-old” (7). When Brent sees Rahul doodling hearts in a notebook, he assumes that they’re for Justin and continuously finds new ways to bully Rahul about his sexuality, saying variations of “Admit it. Say you’re gay” (31).

Brent also makes racist comments toward Rahul and exhibits aggressive, stereotypical masculinity. Brent makes several comments to Rahul about “[his] people,” invoking stereotypes like Indian people being good at math. He tells Rahul, “Your people shouldn’t be celebrating Christmas” (214), demonstrating racist beliefs and imposing closed-minded ideas about what certain people “should” do. In terms of aggressive, performative behavior, Rahul sees Brent doing things like kissing his biceps, and at one point, Brent approaches Rahul in the hallway and “beats his chest with both fists. Like he’s a gorilla or something” (78).

It is likely that Brent is perpetuating gendered aggression and language learned from his dad, Mr. Mason. Mr. Mason argues with the football coach when Rahul is trying out for the team, angry that he is “coddling some latecomer who can barely squeeze out a set of push-ups” (103). This comment implies that Rahul’s ability to perform certain physical tasks makes him more or less worthy of coaching. Mr. Mason impresses these harsh standards on his son. When Brent misses a catch in practice, a gesture from Mr. Mason cues Brent to “punc[h] himself in the arm. Three times. Really hard” (99). It can be inferred that Brent has either been taught or self-implemented a system of self-harm as punishment for not living up to his dad’s expectations.

At the end of the novel, after Rahul stands up to Brent about his sexuality and Brent gets a strange expression, Rahul and Chelsea speculate on whether Brent also might not be straight. Chelsea says that she “wouldn’t wish” coming out to Mr. Mason on anyone, implying that Mr. Mason has a known anti-gay bias, perhaps leading Brent to mimic him and continuously ridicule Rahul.

Bhai is Rahul’s grandfather. Though he only arrived from India several years prior, after his wife died, he has been one of Rahul’s biggest support systems and confidants. The novel opens to a scene of Bhai, who uses a wheelchair, challenging Rahul to a race with a “devilish grin” (4). This scene introduces all of Bhai’s main qualities: He is friendly, engaging, funny, supportive, and good-humored. He wants to cultivate a supportive space for Rahul, demonstrating the theme of The Importance of Positive Support Systems for Young People through his actions. He tells Rahul that he “should always be able to tell [him] anything that’s on [his] mind” (5). Due to the closeness he wants to cultivate, he asks Rahul to call him “Bhai,” which means “older brother” in several Indian languages.

While Rahul’s parents each have individual challenges that keep them from immediately noticing that Rahul is struggling, Bhai notices right away. Bhai is able to adapt to Rahul’s needs, not pressuring him to talk about things he isn’t ready to open up about but finding creative ways to support him regardless.

The story that Bhai tells about Rahul’s grandmother inadvertently prompts Rahul’s failed missions to become the “best” at something. He tells Rahul, “Your grandmother taught me no one can stand in your way, If you dedicate yourself to something and become the best at it, then nobody can stop you” (63-64). Rahul tries to emulate this model to no avail. After Rahul resolves his tension with Brent, Bhai takes the important step of amending his prior advice to Rahul, saying that Rahul “taught [him] something,” which is that “[y]ou’re already the best […] because you’re you” (319). Bhai iterates the lesson that Rahul was trying to learn all along, which is about accepting yourself exactly how you are. His final lesson thus relates to the theme of Figuring Out and Accepting One’s Identity.

Rahul’s parents are important side characters who model how adults can support and accept their children. Both his dad and mom face an obstacle when it comes to supporting Rahul. Both overcome this obstacle to offer Rahul their unconditional support for their son when it comes to Figuring Out and Accepting One’s Identity and Navigating Bullying and Mental Health as a Teen.

Initially, Rahul’s mom lets her own concerns with developing a successful International Bazaar overshadow her support for Rahul. When she walks in on Rahul and Chelsea setting up Rahul’s audition, she asks, “‘Is there anything I can do?’ But then she shakes her head. ‘Oh, wait. Speaking of artistic. Have the two of you put any more thought into the Bazaar?’” (124). His mom is well-intentioned and wants to help Rahul, but she does not let him answer her question before changing the subject back to the International Bazaar. 

Rahul’s dad lets his concern over how Vinay Uncle perceives Rahul’s sexuality and masculinity affect his treatment of Rahul. When Rahul decides to try out for football, even though his dad initially says, “Spend one day in the emergency room with me, and you’ll change your mind about willingly trying to break all your bones” (89), Vinay Uncle’s insistence that “[b]oys should play football” eventually leads to Rahul’s dad agreeing (89). Earlier in the novel, after Vinay makes a snide comment about how they can only hope Rahul will ever be interested in marriage—that is, an implied heterosexual marriage—Rahul hears his dad tell his mom, “[Vinay] might have a point […] You must see what I see” (49). Saying that Vinay “has a point” leads Rahul to wonder what his parents see when they look at him, adding to his self-consciousness as he navigates his sexuality and identity.

When Rahul’s mom goes to the bank to complain about their racist behavior toward Rahul, she provides a model for Rahul when he eventually stands up for himself against Brent. Later, when Vinay minimizes Rahul’s Mathletes award, his dad stands up to Vinay, reaffirming the importance of Rahul’s victories.

Rahul’s dad confesses that he and Rahul’s mom are still fallible humans, just like Rahul. When confessing that sometimes they don’t know how best to help Rahul, he says, “Did you know that? That Mom and I don’t know everything?” (209). Rather than imposing their version of the world on Rahul, he is honest about not having all the answers. However, he affirms their unwavering support for Rahul regardless. Both parents support the theme of The Importance of Positive Support Systems for Young People.