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Summary
Concerned that he hasn’t heard from Malcolm and Tagoe, Rufus uses Instagram to try to connect with them before writing an apology text to Aimee. Before he sends the text, Mateo runs out of Lidia’s apartment building and starts crying. Rufus tells him should be with his dad and Lidia if that’s what he wants, but Mateo says no, he wants to stay with Rufus. The boys talk about how hard it is to be unable to say goodbye to their loved ones. Rufus then shares his Instagram account with Mateo. Noting that all the pictures are black and white, Mateo encourages Rufus to record his End Day with color photos so the Plutos can see his final moments. Mateo takes a picture of Rufus sitting next to his bike, and Rufus posts it in color. He hopes he’s remembered as the boy in the picture instead of the boy who beat up Peck. Meanwhile, Peck is thinking about how to get revenge on Rufus if he’s still alive.
At 7:12 AM, Rufus and Mateo decide to go to Make-a-Moment, a virtual reality company meant to provide Deckers with bucket list experiences before they die. On their way, Mateo puts out his arm to keep Rufus from walking into the street while looking at his phone, telling Rufus to be more careful. As they walk, Mateo gets a call from an unknown number. He knows it’s Lidia calling from her grandmother’s phone, and doesn’t answer. Rufus is inspired to call Aimee, and she tells him that Malcolm and Tagoe were arrested. During their conversation, Rufus mentions a few details about beating up Peck and being wanted by the police. When Aimee says she didn’t break up with Peck, Rufus hangs up to discover Mateo has left. Aimee keeps trying to call Rufus back, but he won’t answer, so she posts comments on his Instagram.
Meanwhile, Mateo runs from Rufus. He’s concerned that his Last Friend is potentially dangerous. However, Rufus finds him and asks Mateo to hear him out. Rufus tells him about Peck and his relationship with Aimee. Concluding that Rufus isn’t dangerous, Mateo tells him that it sounds like he made a mistake. Mateo’s compassion encourages Rufus to confide in Mateo about his family’s deaths. When Rufus’s parents and older sister got their Death-Cast call, he finally came out to his parents as bisexual, who hugged him tightly. They then decided to drive to their cabin near Albany to spend their final day as a family. On the drive upstate, their car crashed off the road and into the Hudson River. Rufus escaped from the car, and the rest of his family drowned. After finishing his story, Rufus and Mateo continue toward Make-a-Moment. They are welcomed by an employee named Deirdre, who helps them sign up for virtual skydiving. For the first few minutes, the experience is exciting, but Mateo realizes that it’s not as exhilarating as he’d hoped because it’s too safe. Rufus reveals that he feels the same way about it. Fun, Rufus says, needs to involve some risk. Still, Rufus uploads a picture of the two of them in their skydiving gear to his Instagram with #LastFriend as the tag.
By 9:14 AM, Lidia is in a panic. Mateo won’t take her calls or answer he texts, even when she tries using another phone. She hates the idea of him being by himself, and she reflects on their friendship and how much he means to her. With bitterness, she thinks of how she’ll put up a memorial for him and how people will leave comments even though they never really took time to know Mateo. She hopes he finds whatever he hopes to get out of his End Day.
Analysis
When Rufus shares his Instagram account with Mateo, his photos from the past four months provide insight into Rufus’s character and his intentions for spending his End Day. When Rufus explains that all his photos since his family died are in black and white, it reveals how Rufus’s life lost its vibrancy due to grief. The black and white images also reveal that Rufus’ perspective on living has become limited. Rufus’s decision to open up to Mateo about his family’s deaths reveals a growing ability to see life with more nuance. Retelling his story reveals how close and supportive his family was and allows Rufus to explore the pain he’s been suppressing. When Mateo suggests that Rufus document his End Day with color photographs, the shift signifies Rufus’s intention to live what’s left of his life more vividly but also delve into the nuances of emotion rather than trying to experience his feelings in a binary way of good and bad.
Mateo continues to grapple with how important it is to take risks and live fully in this section. Fleeing from Rufus after overhearing his conversation with Aimee represents a regression back toward fear and anxiety. Similarly, Mateo avoids Lidia’s phone calls in a naïve attempt to spare her feelings, an act which protects Mateo from an emotional risk while causing Lidia emotional anguish. Rufus’s pursuit of Mateo is the catalyst that Mateo require to continue facing his fears and living fully. The unfulfilling Make-a-Moment experience is a key turning point for Mateo because there is no real risk involved. The virtual skydiving parallels Mateo’s experiences playing video games and reading blogs because they are both simulations of things he’s been afraid to experience. Mateo’s reflections on how so many things in his life have no physical, emotional, or psychological risk involved reveal his growth toward living authentically. That epiphany will guide Mateo throughout the rest of his End Day.
Mateo and Lidia both show how social media depicts false presentations of friendship and life in general. As seen in Part One, Mateo uses social media and blogs to live vicariously through others and avoid addressing his anxiety and living the life he wants. When he challenges Rufus about Instagram, noting how Instagram users post pictures for approval and affirmation instead of accurately showing themselves and their lives, he reveals the dichotomy social media can present in people’s lives. Lidia’s reflections also illustrate moral questions about the authenticity of social media. As Lidia reviews Mateo’s Facebook account, it’s clear that Mateo is hypocritical since he only posts a "highlight reel" of his life, like spending time with Penny and other happy moments. Lidia’s speculations on the performative way she suspects people will respond when she posts a digital memorial to Mateo after his death reveals the dark side of social media. The implication is that no one, including Mateo, took the time or interest to get to know each other while there was still time and that social media gives only the illusion of relationships while keeping people from generating real ones.
