Does Squeaky's attitude change by the end of "Raymond's Run" by Toni Cade Bambara? If so, how?

In Toni Cade Bambara’s short story “Raymond’s Run,” Squeaky goes through a metamorphosis. Her attitude changes from a little girl who will do anything to maintain her reputation as the fastest runner in the neighborhood. She is a tough young woman who will stand up for her beliefs until she either has to fight or flee.

I’m ready to fight, cause like I said I don’t feature a whole lot of chit-chat, I much prefer to just knock you down right from the jump and save everybody alotta precious time.

She is fiercely protective of her brother Raymond, who lives with a developmental disability. Her only family responsibility is to care for him, and she protects him from the wrath of other neighborhood children.  One of her important attributes is that she is willing to practice constantly to maintain her prowess as the fastest runner. In fact, she despises other girls who pretend they do not need to practice in order to excel.

She has a difficult time maintaining friendships with other girls, and believes role models are lacking.

Gretchen smiles, but it’s not a smile, and I’m thinking that girls never really smile at each other because they don’t know how and don’t want to know how and there’s probably no one to teach us how, cause grown-up girls don’t know either.

The day of the May Day race, Squeaky deposits Raymond on the playground and prepares for the race with no thoughts of anything but winning. As the race unfolds, Gretchen proves to be a formidable opponent who garners Squeaky’s respect. The two exchange a knowing glance and a genuine smile. Raymond, on the other side of the fence, matches Squeaky stride for stride in the race, which causes her to see him as more than her disabled brother. In her eyes, he becomes a person with possibility. Both of these events change Squeaky’s attitude from a self-involved, tough girl to a young lady who sees other possibilities for Raymond, and her relationships with other girls. She even considers asking Gretchen to coach Raymond with her, as her mindset changes.

And I look over at Gretchen wondering what the “P” stands for. And I smile. Cause she’s good, no doubt about it. Maybe she’d like to help me coach Raymond; she obviously is serious about running, as any fool can see. And she nods to congratulate me and then she smiles. And I smile. We stand there with this big smile of respect between us.