Back at school after the dance, Alex is shocked to find that Brad and Sarah have actually fallen for one another and are enjoying each other’s company. Meanwhile, Laurie jokes with Alex about making another student think they “hooked up last night” (205). The chapter closes with Alex writing a letter to Judge Trent reflecting on what he has learned about Sol. Judge Trent responds, suggesting that “perhaps […] [he was] deliberately assigned to Mr. Lewis so that [they] could learn some lessons together” (208). 

A few days later, Sol proposes an idea to help Alex get back into playing guitar: Sol will teach Alex how to play in preparation for their next benefit concert, which Sol has scheduled for April in collaboration with Steve and Annette. Alex protests, saying he will be “embarrassed again” (211), but Sol firmly suggests that what Alex really needs is practice.

Back home, Alex finds his parents trying to act normal together: His father is cooking pasta alfredo. Upstairs, his mom is trying to pull out old pictures of them together but drops one, cutting her foot. Alex’s father takes her to the hospital for stitches, and Alex finds the alfredo sauce on the stove, “a thin wafer of charred carbon” (215).