Sage and Aunt Ini visit Chelsea Market, where they browse and people-watch. Sage admits to Aunt Ini that she constantly misses her friend. Aunt Ini offers a candid and comforting perspective on grief, telling the narrator that she will miss her friend for the rest of her life, but that the memories will eventually bring comfort as well as pain. She reveals that she still misses her own sister—Sage’s grandmother—every day, even 40 years after her death. Aunt Ini calls this lasting love “a beautiful thing” (41), which makes Sage reflect on the fact that she never knew her grandmother.

Sage reflects on all the things that Aunt Ini has done in the last 40 years without her sister. She lists many things, then notes that, throughout it all, Aunt Ini has continued to get up each morning and live.

Returning to school on Monday is difficult for Sage. She finds it hard to walk the halls without her best friend and is pained by the reactions of her classmates; some she doesn’t know give her pitying looks, while those she does know avoid her gaze altogether. She recalls Ms. Carver explaining that grief can make people uncomfortable, even for Sage’s friends. Ms. Carver also advised her to be patient with herself and others, acknowledging that death is difficult for everyone.

By contrast, Ebony and DD treat Sage normally, inviting her to sit with them in the cafeteria. When Ebony asks about her weekend, Sage lies about staying home, having previously told Ebony she had fun plans. To deflect attention, Sage asks about DD’s weekend. DD explains that she was preparing for a memorial service for her brother, Nathan Morris, on the first anniversary of his murder. She matter-of-factly recounts how police officers killed Nathan during a traffic stop, mistaking his asthma inhaler for a gun. Sage considers the new, tragic vocabulary DD has been forced to learn.

Sage presents a list of words from her own new vocabulary, learned after her best friend’s death. The list reveals that the friend was killed in a hit-and-run, leading to legal terms like vehicular manslaughter. Sage also grapples with the vocabulary of the funeral and its aftermath, including words like cremation, wake, urn, and bereavement. The list concludes with the word “loss” repeated three times.

Sage recalls that she and her best friend “loved the ocean” and would spend a week every summer in Montauk (49). She remembers their last trip, when her friend, not wanting the day to end, begged to stay on the beach and wished she could stay there “forever.”

Sage reveals that her friend, who died at 12, was cremated. Her ashes were then put into the Atlantic Ocean. Sage reflects that it is now her friend’s “home” and Sage’s “new favorite place” (50).

In math class, Sage feels a sense of comfort and control. She loves the subject because it provides definite formulas and correct answers. This contrasts sharply with the unanswerable questions she has about the random, tragic nature of her best friend’s death.

Sage describes her math teacher, Mr. Dixon, and his chaotic but organized classroom, which is covered in math posters. He begins the class with a bad pun about decimals, which is met with groans from the students. He then starts a review of parallel and transversal lines.

This chapter provides definitions for two geometric terms. Parallel lines are defined as multiple lines that will never intersect, while a transversal line intersects other lines.

During a grief support group meeting, Ms. Carver asks the members to share a memory of their lost loved one. Ana talks about being with her twin sister during her final moments in hospice. Zay remembers his grandmother’s faith and how her last act resembled a wave goodbye. DD shares a funny memory of her brother’s ability to burp the alphabet. Ebony recalls her father surprising her with a trip to a burger joint. When it is Sage’s turn, she is overwhelmed by a flood of memories and begins to cry, unable to speak.

Sage reflects on her memories of her friend, which range from gentle and happy to overwhelming and destructive. She recalls not only the good times but also a period when they began to grow into different people, straining their friendship.

After the support group, on a Friday afternoon, Sage agrees to hang out with Ebony and DD. After getting food, they walk to Morningside Park. Sage pauses cautiously at a crosswalk, her trauma making her fearful of traffic, while her friends cross without hesitation.

As they walk, Sage is lost in memories of her friend. DD observes that Sage seems to dislike the other girls in their grief group, Ana and Zay. Ebony agrees, joking about the intense way Sage looks at them by saying, “If looks could…” (60). She stops, intending to say the word “kill” but stopping herself.

This brief, parenthetical chapter consists of a single observation: Many phrases, like the one Ebony almost said, make light of death.

Sage responds to Ebony’s question, insisting that she likes Ana and Zay but noting that they don’t understand “how good they have it” because of the way their loved ones died (62).

At Morningside Park, the girls watch boys play basketball. A boy named Kofi makes a shot and winks in their direction. Ebony and DD tease Sage about him, encouraging her to embrace happiness alongside her sadness by quoting Ms. Carver’s advice to feel all emotions. They then convince a blushing Sage to go over and talk to him.

Kofi greets Sage and asks why he hasn’t seen her at the park recently. Sage realizes she has avoided the park since her friend’s death but keeps this to herself, choosing to flirt with him instead. While Ebony and DD giggle nearby, Kofi tells Sage that he “pay[s] attention.”

Sage reflects on Kofi’s comment that she hasn’t been to the park. She knows that it has been exactly “one month / and one week” since her friend’s death (66). She recognizes that it still feels like it just happened, as those around her continue as if nothing is wrong.

Sage wishes time would slow down. She fears that the more time passes, the more she will forget her friend. She also feels the growing expectation to return to normal life and resents the idea of making new memories without her.

Sage’s father reminds her that her “Fly Girl” pilot program is starting soon. Sage says she no longer wants to go. Her mother gets on the phone and insists, citing the cost and the benefit of a new routine. Her father encourages her by reminding her that being a pilot is her dream. Sage reluctantly agrees, admitting to herself that she still wants to go, just not yet.

Sage recalls a story their mother frequently tells about their infancy. When she would take Sage for walks in a stroller, Sage would become incredibly excited by planes or helicopters in the sky. Based on this behavior, the mother always tells Sage, “You were born to fly” (69), and expresses her firm belief that she will one day “soar.”

Sage attends the memorial for DD’s brother, Nathan, at the Adam Clayton Powell Plaza with her dad and Aunt Ini. Ebony and her mom stand next to them. The plaza is filled with people honoring Nathan. The speakers, including Nathan’s mother, focus on sharing positive and humorous memories of his life. There is no mention of his murder by police or of injustice; the event is solely a celebration of who he was.

Sage imagines the speech she would give at a memorial for her best friend. She would share memories of their adventures, like watching the sunrise from a rooftop and laughing after missing a bus. She would also recount how her friend, despite being terrified of roller coasters, always rode them at Coney Island just for her. Sage concludes that much of their friendship consisted of her friend doing things to make her happy.