Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World

Ari goes back to school for his last semester on Thursday. Once there, he feels far away and numb. When Mr. Blocker asks Ari how he is doing, he tells him “I’m not sure” (295).

When class starts, Mr. Blocker announces that the students will be reading and writing poetry for the next three weeks.

Ari wakes up in the night to the sound of his mother sobbing. He wonders if he should go comfort her or leave her alone. In the end, he leaves her alone.

The next morning, Ari tells his mother that he heard her pain last night.

Ari talks to Dante on the phone, though he does not talk much himself. Ari finds Dante’s never-ending talking annoying sometimes, though he still loves him.

After school, Ari’s friends are waiting for him in the parking lot. Ari is not in the mood to hang out but agrees to meet for burgers later.

Once alone, Ari drives out to the desert. He parks the truck and sits there thinking about his dad. He finds himself talking out loud to his dad, wanting to know why the universe took him away.

Sometime later, Ari wakes to Dante’s voice. Dante picks him up and carries him in his arms.

Ari can feel Dante bathing him in the shower. He can hear Dante whispering his name.

Ari wakes up to the sun streaming in through his window. He thinks about the summer day that he met Dante, and how he listened to “La Bamba” on the radio. He realizes that he is different now: “I’d left that boy behind” (303).

Lilly’s comes into Ari’s room to check on him. She tells him that she knows he is sad, but that he needs to overcome his own hurt and think of others sometimes. She is afraid of losing him. She tells Ari that if he wants to honor his father, he needs to learn to live again.

Ari finds his mother in the bathroom going through Jaime’s things. The spend the whole day going through his belongings. Ari keeps his mailman uniform, his wedding band, his army uniform, and a picture of his mother he sent to her while in Vietnam.

Lilly admits she thought about moving into the guest room but realized that that would be running away.

Ari calls Dante and apologizes for scaring him. Ari and Lilly pick him up and meet the girls at the Charcoaler. Everyone is happy to see Lilly. Ari loves his friends so much.

On Sunday Ari and Cassandra go for a run. They both feel alive.

Later, Ari and Dante go to the desert and make love, saying to each other, “Let’s live” (308).

During lunch Ari tells his friends about the story his dad told him about the lizards in Lilly’s classroom. Ari thinks, “Maybe all we were meant to do on this earth was to keep on telling stories” (309).

One day the school has a fire drill that goes on for longer than usual. At lunch, it comes out that someone let out an army of crickets in Mrs. Livermore’s class.

The next week, Ari is called to the principal’s office, along with Chuy and Susie. Mr. Robertson tells them he has reason to believe they are behind the prank with the crickets, given their history with Mrs. Livermore. The kids assure the principal that they are not responsible for the prank. Ari also tells him off for assuming the worst of them.

Susie finds out that David Brown was the genius behind the crickets prank. At lunch, Ari and his friends grill David for details. David says he overheard Ari telling a story about lizards and decided to pull a similar prank on Mrs. Livermore.

Ari watches the news, where AIDS activists are continuing to protest. One activist tells a reporter that nobody is listening to them, and that more and more people are dying. Ari turns off the TV.

Sitting in Ari’s truck after school, Dante tells Ari that he wants to kiss him. Ari tells him it is not a good idea.

In the desert later, they hold hands as they walk.

Mrs. Lozano, a new teacher, introduces herself to Ari’s class. Wanting to get to know her students, she asks everyone to go around and introduce themselves and talk about what they would like to be when they grow up. Without thinking, Ari tells her he wants to be a writer. After class, Susie tells him she had no idea he wanted to write. He tells her he feels “something inside me that tells me that I’m going to be a writer” (322).

Spring break comes around. Ari does not do much other than hang out with his friends.

Ari has a dream that he and Dante are running. They are being chased by a group of people who want to hurt them. They reach a cliff and decide they have no choice but to dive into the water. Dante is not afraid to dive. In the dream, Dante feels alive.

On the last night of spring break Ari prepares himself for the last two months of high school. He considers all he has learned this year, such as that he wanted to be a writer, and the importance of letting go of the past.

Ari and his friends study at his house in the evenings. Sometimes Ari and Dante hold hands under the table. This was how they live for the rest of the semester. On weekends, the group goes to the movies or out to the desert. Susie often brings David, aka Cricket, who she is dating.

One night in the desert, Ari and Dante escape from the group so they can make out. Their plan is foiled by Gina, who happens upon them.

Back with the group, they talk about sex and society’s expectations regarding sex.

Ari comes home from a run to his mother getting ready for a night out. Ari makes plans to get a burger with Dante, who arrives at his house just as he is getting home. Knowing his mother will be out, Ari invites Dante to take a shower with him.

Ari’s life became semi-normal again. One evening, Susie announces that she has been accepted to Emory University. Dante has been accepted to Oberlin, and Ari and Gina are both going to UT.

One evening Lilly gets a call informing her that she has won teacher of the year. Ari is so happy for his mother he shouts his congratulations into the night sky. Several neighbors overhear the commotion and come over to congratulate Lilly.

At school the next day, teachers and students congratulate Ari for his mother’s achievement. He is so happy for her, but he is also sad that his father is not around to celebrate with him.