Marty makes Jo a TV dinner and readies the pull-out sofa, but Jo can only think about getting away to help Addie. As Marty drifts off, she asks Jo about her mother’s friend, saying that sometimes keeping someone’s dangerous habit a secret is the wrong decision. Jo would like to tell Marty the truth about her home life but recalls again how Aunt Mallory betrayed her. Jo waits for Marty to fall asleep, then sneaks out.

This chapter begins with direct messages from “16 Days Ago” (94). Jo tells Addie she is reading a book about Amelia Earhart. Addie says her favorite pilot is “Queen” Bess Coleman, a Black woman who received her pilot’s license in France and became a barnstormer. The girls chat about flying away together to distant locations like Paris and Egypt.

Jo realizes she has no good plan, unlike astronaut Valentina Tereshkova before her space flights. Jo sees that walking the 80 miles to Alamo Lake is unrealistic; she decides to borrow a bike from a campground she passes, calculating that she can arrive by morning that way. She takes an electric bike, leaving a note and her mother’s cell number to reassure the owner that they will get it back.

Jo cannot figure out how to start the bike’s motor. She pedals it manually, but this is exhausting because the bike is heavy. Inadvertently, she twists the bike’s handle, which seems to start the motor. Overjoyed that it now works, she gets on the freeway, staying on the edge of the shoulder. The headlights of cars and semi-trucks are the only light. One semi blasts its horn; another veers close enough to the shoulder to hit the “drunk bumps.” Jo is terrified of the semis but motors along, drawing inspiration from the thought of Lois Pryce traveling from Alaska to Argentina by motorcycle. As the next semi approaches, Jo loses control, wipes out, and falls close to the road.

Jo manages to roll away from the road before the next truck gets to her. It pulls over some distance ahead. The driver gets out to check on her, but Jo races past him on the bike. She gets off the interstate at the sign for Wenden. On the dark road, the noises of night creatures alarm her. The water jug broke open when Jo fell, so her small food stash and her map are soaked. Worse, she has no water left. She reminds herself of the Van Buren sisters, female motorcyclists, to boost her bravery. The back tire goes flat, but Jo presses on; then the motor dies, and she cannot get it restarted. She pedals the heavy bike until she reaches the town of Hope. Jo assumes a gas station will be open for charging the cell phone and fixing the tire, but the only gas station she finds is closed. Jo hides the bike and sets out to walk the 12 miles to Wenden.

Jo walks through the night, trying to be brave. The sound of a rattle alarms Jo, and she walks along the center of the road to avoid it. She is dismayed that she still has 43 miles to go, estimating 10 more to Wenden, 30 to the Flipside Café, and about 3 into the desert to find Addie. Next, screams terrify Jo; she thinks about zombies, but the noise comes from coyotes. She hunkers down into a tight ball, hearing nails on the pavement and sniffing.

The coyotes wander off, but Jo feels disoriented and uncertain about the direction she should go. She chooses the direction by instinct. Thoughts of Addie motivate Jo to continue; eventually, she sees the lights of Wenden in the distance. She assumes again the gas station will be open—or will open in the morning. The gas station, however, is out of business; the dilapidated building offers no outlets or water. Jo has 33 miles to go as the sun starts to rise. She lays on an old bench and cries until she sleeps.

This chapter begins with direct messages from “14 Days Ago” (133). Jo tells Addie she dreamed they were flying off together; Addie mentions again how remote the area is where she lives.

Marty honks, waking Jo. Jo is both cranky and relieved that Marty has come. She immediately refuses to return, but Marty does not fight her; since she cannot stop Jo, she will go with her. Marty brought “snacks” from her grandfather’s, including prunes, Ensure, and water in a salsa jar. Jo has little choice in the dangerous heat and accepts. Jo shows her map to Marty, and as they drive toward Flipside Café, she mentions wanting to see faraway places. Marty says Jo might enjoy a job in travel writing and illustrating; Jo insists, however, that “Poor people can’t do stuff like that” (143). Marty replies that anyone can pursue their chosen path; she wants to be a doctor who helps people like Jo’s mother’s friend. The way Marty refers to the friend makes Jo think Marty suspects the friend is not real, but as Jo tries to ask, the car runs out of gas.