Chapter Six (Nelson) Summary

Nelson is elated to go to school to see Kyle without his braces. He even brings his Polaroid camera to capture the moment. When he sees Kyle, his heart soars: he is more handsome than ever. Nelson's joy is short-lived: all Kyle wants to talk about is Jason. Nelson is irate, and Kyle's bright white smile begins to annoy him. Nelson snaps at Kyle, starting a fight. Later that afternoon, Nelson visits Shea for another haircut. There, he bemoans his body, wishing he were more athletic, like Jason, so Kyle would be attracted to him. He decides to get a perm, but it doesn't turn out as he'd hoped.

Later, Nelson meets up with Kyle and suggests that they go to homecoming together. Kyle doesn't understand why; if he was going to make a gay statement at homecoming, he'd...