Solomon is inconsolable and unable to go back outside for days. To him, Clark and Lisa “had felt so real that he’d never stopped to question why it was happening—why they’d waste their time on someone like him in the first place” (216). Solomon feels guilty for slapping himself in front of his parents. He’s done it before, but completely alone, an extreme method of coping with the tension building inside of him. Solomon hopes that one day he’ll “pretend them away” (217), but he is unsure if he’ll ever go back outside again.

Solomon attempts to go outside for his father, but crumbles into anxiety. When his grandmother comes over, Solomon tells her that one day he’ll try to go outside again, but his grandmother is more concerned about the loss of his friends. Both his father and his grandmother remind Solomon how much more to him they are than just this one problem, and that everyone makes mistakes. They all know that Solomon will miss them, but they don’t want him to give up on people. The issue is that Solomon’s trust has been broken, and he no longer knows what to believe.

Solomon musters up the courage to call Clark, and after a quick but productive discussion, Solomon realizes that he doesn’t blame Clark and will forgive him in time.