Summary

In “Scene 48,” Kate, her family, Ellen, and Matt go to dinner at Taco Mac’s for Ryan’s birthday. Kate’s mom gets “scatterbrained” (243) on the way to the restaurant, because that is how she gets around Kate’s dad. In the car, Ryan asks his mom if he might go see his friends later that evening, and Kate’s mom gives him permission. Ryan then asks Kate and Matt if they would like to go. The party is at the house of an f-girl, so Kate is not interested, but she is happy that Ryan invited her to come along.

In “Scene 49” the family celebrates Ryan’s birthday, and Kate’s dad has difficulty understanding that Matt is not on the baseball team. After dinner, Kate’s dad asks if Kate is dating Matt, which causes Kate to smile. On...