Evan texts Jared on the way home from Connor’s wake to tell him he’s been invited to dinner at the Murphys. Jared says he can’t tell them the truth. Once he gets back home, Evan thinks about how the last time he wore a suit was to his dad’s wedding in Colorado. Evan’s mom comes home from work and tries to talk to him about Connor’s death, saying she got an email from the school. Despite her efforts to connect with Evan, he still feels distant from his mother, as he states: “I was just thinking about how far away Colorado seemed, and here’s my mom, living with me in the same house, and I honestly can’t say she feels any closer” (91). She sees Connor’s name on his cast, but Evan tells her it is a different person. She invites him to go to the Bell House for breakfast, which used to be their Saturday ritual. Before he goes to bed, he checks the window to see if anyone is outside on the street again.

When Evan and Mrs. Hansen are at breakfast the next morning, she again tries to get closer to Evan. She laments, “You’re so far away […] I feel like I want to come sit on your side” (93), but Evan refuses.