Summary: Chapter 15

“Of the thirty-six ways of avoiding disaster, running away is best.”

—Anonymous

Carmen walks angrily to the woods, wondering if Albert will try to find her. Worried that her father might call the police, she heads home. But when she gets home, she sees through the window that the whole family is sitting around the kitchen table, saying grace and eating dinner. Carmen knows she’ll never belong. Enraged, she hurls a rock through the window. Albert sees her before she runs away.

Bridget writes to Tibby about how much she loves being outdoors.

Lena tries to find Kostos at the forge. She waits for him outside and calls out to him when he sees her, but, other than a brief nod, he ignores her.

Carmen runs back to the woods. She wants to go home to Maryland. In the middle of the night, she sneaks back to Lydia’s and gets her belongings, then finds a bus station and takes the first bus home. Once there, she sends the Pants to Bridget, along with a letter saying that she can’t yet talk about what happened and that she hopes the Pants bring Bridget “good sense.”

Summary: Chapter 16

“Life is so . . . whatever.”

—Kelly Marquette, aka Skeletor

Bridget thinks about having sex with Eric. She and her friends are virgins, but she feels differently about Eric. She tells her friends she’s sure she and Eric are going to hook up that night. Bridget plays in a soccer match, keeping herself from dominating the game.

Carmen shows up in Tibby’s bedroom. Sobbing, she tells Tibby how unhappy she was in South Carolina and that she broke the kitchen window. Tibby doesn’t really understand why Carmen hates everyone so much. Carmen thinks Tibby looks exhausted. She tells Tibby more about what she feels, but she gets angry when Tibby suggests she’s mad at Albert. Tibby then suggests that Carmen put her problems in perspective, and Carmen storms out.