Chapters 17-18 Summary

In Chapter 17, one night, on her way out the front door to meet Donna, Tara does her doorknob thing, and her father asks her whether he's made her unhappy. He starts to get angry at her since she won't stop counting, when there is a ring at the doorbell. It's Mr. Jacobson, a friend of Tara's father's. Tara's father opens the door for him, and Tara is standing there counting and she bursts into tears. Mr. Jacobson asks Tara questions no one has ever asked her. "What does it feel like?" and "Do you do it a certain number of times?" (p. 150). He says that he has a boy in his class with a similar problem. Tara says that she doesn't enjoy the things she does, she just has to do them. Mr. Jacobson tells Tara and her parents that he...