Jackie sits with Danny and Isaac at Alex’s game. Jackie struggles to pay attention to the game, and Danny teases her that she cannot stop thinking about Cole. Jackie assures Isaac and Danny that nothing is going on between her and Cole, and the boys just break into laughter. Jackie tells them both to be quiet as Alex is up at bat. She cheers for him as he hits the ball, making it to second base. Danny gets a phone call from George, who tells him that he needs to pick up Benny and Zack from soccer. Isaac plans to leave with Danny, telling Jackie she can get a ride home with Alex on his bike.

Alex and Jackie make it halfway home on Alex’s bike before it starts pouring rain, and Alex pulls off to the side of the road, leading them under a pavilion where they can wait out the storm. Alex calls home to have someone come pick them up and then envelopes Jackie in his arms and kisses her. Jackie cannot help but think that Alex’s kisses remind her of a puppy, convincing herself that “Puppies were good, right?” (305). A car horn beeps, and Jackie pulls away from Alex, readjusting her shirt.

When Jackie reaches the car, she is horrified to see that Cole is the driver, knowing that he saw her and Alex kissing. She can feel the anger “pouring off” (305) Cole, who does not speak on the ride home. When they arrive home, Cole parks at the bottom of the hill, forcing Alex and Jackie to walk the rest of the way in the rain while he carries an umbrella. Alex asks what is wrong with Cole and Jackie tells him that he saw them kissing.

On Monday night, the family attends Danny’s performance. The family is nearly late for the performance. Jackie sits between Alex and Nathan, but Cole forces Nathan to move, claiming that he does not want to sit next to Zack and Benny. Cole has been distant from Jackie ever since the party, acting withdrawn and spending more time by himself working on his car. Jackie often tries to tone down her relationship with Alex while Cole is around, not wanting to further upset him.

After the show, everyone congratulates Danny on his performance, and a talent scout from a theater company in New York City seeks him out, offering him a spot in the company’s summer training camp. His family is thrilled, but less so when he informs them that he has to leave as soon as summer begins. Katherine tells him that they will have to discuss everything later before making a final decision.

The morning of the wedding does not go smoothly, and Jackie startles when she hears Katherine screaming from the kitchen that she forgot to frost the two hundred cupcakes she made. Jackie offers to frost the cupcakes for her, but when she gets halfway through, she realizes that she is running out of time to get ready. Cole appears in the kitchen and offers to help her finish the job. He removes a smear of icing from Jackie’s nose with his finger, putting it in his mouth.

At the reception, Jackie is dismayed to see that she is seated between Cole and Alex. As soon as Cole and Alex sit down, they begin sniping at each other. Their argument continues as dinner progresses, especially when Cole offers to get Jackie something from the bar. Wanting something to ease her nerves, Jackie orders a glass of red wine. Isaac gets Alex an alcoholic iced tea, but Alex overindulges and quickly gets sick.

Sitting outside the bathroom with a glass of water for Alex, Jackie reflects on how stressful the day has been even though she was looking forward to it. The DJ announces the last dance of the night, and Jackie laments that she did not get to dance all night. Cole overhears her and offers to dance with her. Jackie tells him that she should stay and look after Alex, but Cole insists and pulls her onto the dance floor. Jackie says that they should not be dancing together, even as she wraps her arms around Cole’s neck.

As they dance, Cole admits that he is in love with Jackie and asks her to admit her feelings for him. Cole becomes frustrated, telling her that he knows she feels the same way. Jackie admits that she has feelings for him even though “it doesn’t make any sense” (335). They break apart, and Jackie sees Alex standing on the porch, staring at them.

Jackie goes to hide in the tree house, and Danny finds her. Jackie laments that although her entire family recently died, all she can do is think about Cole. She begins sobbing at this admission, and Danny hugs her and tells her that in finding Cole, she found someone to help ease the pain she is experiencing. He tells her that despite Cole’s faults, he has never seen him fight for anything as hard as he has for Jackie, and tells her that she needs to talk to Alex.

Danny also tells Jackie that Katherine agreed to let him participate in the summer theater program and that Jackie could go stay with him while he is in New York. Jackie is ecstatic at this news, before thinking about the implications of leaving behind the friends she has made in Colorado for the summer.

The next morning, Alex knocks on Jackie’s door and asks if they can talk. Alex apologizes for his behavior the night before and tells her that he has been “so unfair” (340) to Jackie during their relationship. He admits that he started dating Jackie in part to get back at Cole, and to prove to Mary that he was done with their relationship. Jackie admits that she began dating Alex so that she would not have to deal with her feelings for Cole, which was not fair to him. They agree to break up. Alex encourages her to go back to New York for the summer and sort everything out so that she can feel better when she returns in the fall. With this, Jackie knows that she has to go home to face her past.

Cole is missing from his and Danny’s graduation party. Jackie finds him in the garage. Cole tells her that he was just installing the last part of his car. He admits that he does not know what to do with himself now that the project is complete. Cole admits that after the injury, he started acting like he did not care about anything as a way to avoid his feelings about being “broken” (345). He tells her that he will be moving into Will’s apartment now that Will is living with Haley. Jackie makes him promise to give her a tour once he is settled into his new place. He tells her to go and that he will catch up later. Instead, he moves out that night without telling his family.

On the day of her and Danny’s departure, Katherine tells Jackie that she wants to show her something. She leads Jackie to the barn, everyone else following behind. When Jackie opens her eyes, she is speechless: Katherine has completed another mural on the side of the barn featuring everyone in the family, including Jackie, with Cole and Alex on either side of her. The mural is titled “My Family” (348), the meaning of which sinks in for Jackie as she stares at the work of art and realizes that she once again has a family.

Jackie says her goodbyes, hugging everyone before climbing into George’s truck alongside Danny. As they start down the road, they notice a car speeding dangerously toward them, honking the horn for them to pull over. Danny exclaims that it is Cole, and George pulls over. Jackie pulls open her door, running out in the rain to meet him and hugging him tightly. He tells her that he wishes the timing had worked out between them and she tells him that maybe the timing will be right when she gets back to Colorado. They kiss, and Cole thanks her as they part, their foreheads touching. The horn beeps and Cole says goodbye. Jackie only responds “See you in three months” (352). Jackie returns to the car, her eyes focused on the future ahead and refusing to look back.