Lost in the Sun

At lunch on Monday, Fallon is listless again. Trent tells her a joke, and she cracks a smile. Later, Trent tells Ms. Emerson that he’s worried that Fallon will be mad at him forever. Ms. Emerson advises him to “speak truths” when he speaks.

Trent goes to Fallon’s dad and tells him how important Fallon is to him. He wants to do chores to earn Fallon’s parents’ forgiveness, the way he has for Ms. Emerson. Fallon’s dad invites him in, and they talk about Trent’s parents, family, and home life. Fallon’s dad asks why Trent wants to be friends with her. Trent searches for the most honest answer he can give and explains that Fallon is kind and doesn’t feel sorry for him. He likes that she’s weird and that their friendship feels natural. Fallon’s dad says that Trent is brave for coming to talk to him, but Trent needs to talk to Fallon and earn her trust again. Trent wonders how he can do that when she has no plants to water.

Trent buys a new sketchbook to work out his ideas for earning Fallon’s trust. Trent’s mom takes him to a movie that night, and he encounters Jeremiah working the snack counter at the theater. Jeremiah tries to give Trent a hard time, but Trent remains as polite as possible, fighting against the fire inside. He apologizes for beating Jeremiah up on Halloween.

After the movie, Trent and his mom talk. Aaron talked to her about trigonometry, and she is thankful that he told her he was struggling. He failed his test, but there’s still time for him to improve his grades before summer. Trent tells her about watering Ms. Emerson’s plants and being Annie Richards’s basketball buddy, and she is impressed. Trent also seeks his mom’s advice about Fallon. She suggests that he search for clues in things that she has told him in order to mend things. On the way home, she tells Trent that his dad misses him and has a hard time showing it. She encourages Trent to go easy on him, and Trent agrees to try.

Trent finds his bedroom covered in obviously fake spiders. Amused by Doug’s attempt to prank him, he hams up his reaction by fake screaming. He writes Doug a note vowing to get revenge and slips it under his bedroom door. He can hear Doug’s muffled giggling.

Ray used to coach baseball, so Trent asks for his help getting over his clamminess and difficulty breathing when he plays sports. Ray is happy to help.

Trent draws tons of pictures of Fallon from their time spent together. He enjoys drawing her, and the pictures come out great. He also draws a picture of Fallon screaming as hard as she can. When he shows Fallon his sketchbook full of pictures of her, he hides the last picture of her screaming. Fallon is touched that he finally drew pictures of her. He asks her if she can hang out with him for something special this weekend, and she agrees.

That weekend, Aaron drives Trent and Fallon to the lake. They row to an island full of trees in the middle, and Trent and Fallon stay on the island while Aaron rows back to the shore. Once Aaron is out of earshot, Trent tells Fallon that he brought her to the island so that she could scream. She agrees to scream if Trent screams too. She lets out a loud, long, wonderful scream, and Trent joins in. It’s cathartic for both. They scream for so long and so loud that a fisherman stops by the island to make sure they’re okay. Fallon is overjoyed that she can scream.

On Monday morning, Aaron and Trent prank Doug into thinking that he’s late for school while it’s still dark outside. They get halfway to school before Doug realizes that it’s four in the morning. He vows revenge.

Trent tells Mr. Gorman that he’s going to like the kid he meets that day. He participates in PE and uses visualization techniques that Ray taught him to push through his anxiety.

Later, Trent encourages Fallon to ask for a better role in the school play. Fallon is jealous of Trent because he can be anyone he wants, but she thinks that she will always be “the girl with the scar” (282). Trent still believes that she’s talented and shouldn’t be a tree.

Trent informs Ms. Emerson that he’ll no longer be able to water the plants, but he has found a replacement for her. Ms. Emerson says that she and the plants will be there if Trent needs them. Trent goes to intramural baseball practice after school and asks if he can join the team. Mr. Gorman lets him because Noah has suddenly quit to go water plants. Trent works through his anxiety with the tools Ray gave him, and he feels good playing baseball again. He realizes that his story isn’t over yet.

Trent goes to dinner with his dad that evening. His dad says that it’s good to see him. Trent isn’t sure if he means it, but he says it back, speaking truths.

Fallon comes into the store on a Sunday morning and informs Trent that she got promoted to be the Wicked Witch’s understudy. Fallon does wonderful imitations of the part. Trent is happy for her. She thanks him for encouraging her to try out for a bigger part.

Fallon grows serious and invites Trent to go for a walk so that she can talk to him. They arrive at a bench overlooking the lake, and the novel ends as Fallon begins to tell Trent how she got her scar when she was five.