The autopilot of the plane shuts down as the pitots—external devices that detect the plane’s speed and balance—freeze. The pilot instructs the co-pilot on how to correct the situation.

Jordan daydreams about his independence, but as he sees the doctor walk to first class, he worries that his mother may be in danger. When “the plane hops to the right, like a stone skipping across a pond […] a new truth yawns open: I do need them. I need all three of them” (269). The jarring has caused Jordan to regress away from adolescence.

On the first day of spring break, Edward and Shay take a bus to New York City. They ride through the neighborhood where Edward lived with his family and visit the deli where Mahira works. Mahira recognizes Edward.

Mahira tells Edward that she learned about the crash while walking past a bar where people were watching the news footage. Mahira assumed the lone survivor was Jordan, and Edward thinks about what would have happened if Jordan had survived: “Edward can picture him lying in a single bed […] His face is contorted with pain, but he’s looking at Mahira. He’s going through the loss with her and finding comfort in that” (277).