The Best at It

In these final chapters, Rahul has a reckoning with how he has been pushing his identities away and trying to be someone he is not. This begins when Jai offers him snacks and says, “Do you not like Indian food? […] Do you even know what these things are? […] you don’t seem very Indian” (272). Rahul realizes how he actively tries to appear less Indian: He has whitened his skin using Photoshop and with powder, tried to distance himself from the aunties when they spoke at assembly, and spurned participation in the International Bazaar. He was even annoyed to be seen with Jai in Mathletes, fearing what other people would think about there being two Indian boys on the team. This illustrates Rahul’s internalized pressure to conform to a Western, white ideal of identity, showcasing how external biases are internalized and how they shape self-perception—a core element of Figuring Out and Accepting One’s Identity. As Rahul realizes this, he also realizes that Jai makes him feel like he’s “not so different” from other people (272). Rahul has been stigmatizing his own identities, internalizing the bullying of people like Brent. Rather than seeing aspects of his racial and ethnic identity as flaws, Rahul begins to embrace them.

The pressures that Rahul puts on himself to assimilate finally begin to have a noticeable effect on his mental health, causing his family to notice. While Rahul works though accepting his racial identity and sexuality on his own, his dad helps him with his mental health. This turning point in Rahul’s journey shows how familial support is integral to overcoming internal struggles, bridging the gap between personal resilience and external validation. This shows The Importance of Positive Support Systems for Young People: While individuals can sometimes amend their own behaviors and beliefs, other matters call for professional help and support. Rahul’s dad makes sure that Rahul knows there is nothing “wrong” with him and that his checking behaviors are just “something in the way your brain works” (291). Rahul’s dad helps him understand that mental health disorders are not personal flaws but matters of brain chemistry that can be addressed with professional help.

Rahul’s behavior continues to address the theme of Navigating Bullying and Mental Health as a Teen when he finally stands up to Brent. He tells Brent that he is gay, and while Brent expects that this will cue their peers to bully Rahul with him, no one does. Both Rahul’s group—the “nerds” and Mathletes—and Justin’s group—the “cool-kids”—support Rahul and refuse to join Brent’s bullying. This solidarity not only disempowers Brent but also reaffirms the idea that communities—when inclusive and supportive—can serve as powerful antidotes to the effects of bullying and discrimination.

This solidarity exemplifies a major trend in the final chapters: the power of different communities blending together to build something new and beautiful. The nerds and the popular kids build a supportive community around Rahul. Bollywood Supply plays a mashup of classic Bollywood music and modern rock, while the Auntie Squad dances a traditional Bollywood dance and then a rock dance with Chelsea and Trina, who represent the “nerds” and the “cool-kids,” respectively. This final performance is a mashup of cultures and cliques. The intertwining of these different elements reflects how identity is multifaceted and enriched by diversity rather than constrained by rigid boundaries. The Holi powder they throw represents Rahul’s Indian heritage, but the rainbow also represents his gay identity, which he now accepts. These hybrid forces have been around Rahul since the beginning of the novel, embodied by the symbol of Bollywood Supply and the way Chelsea was working with the Auntie Squad on a performance from the novel’s first chapters, but Rahul is finally able to appreciate the beauty of his various cultures and cliques coming together.

Rahul’s celebration of these various mashups also anticipates what Bhai tells Rahul about the lesson he learned by observing Rahul’s behavior: “You’re already the best […] because you’re you” (319). This is an important, positive lesson about how young people should accept themselves exactly as they are, rather than trying to fit themselves into the mold of what they consider normative. Rahul’s journey culminates in the realization that self-acceptance, rather than external validation or conformity, is the ultimate achievement.