This chapter opens on a rainy day at the fairground in Iowa. It's the last day of the fair, and Rinehart's mom has come to pick up her son. She tells him to come home because she's having a "meltdown" , and she asks him to help her with it. He's all, "Hey, I'm a mess, can you help me with it?" . She's so grateful that he's willing to do anything for her, even if it means he'll have to hug him a little more. He tells her that he wants to go to the fair with her that night, and he promises to do so.