Schooled

The reaction to Capricorn being alive is chaotic. Hugh falls off of the bed of the truck, and people starting closing in on Capricorn. A couple of the guys hoist him up onto the truck. Capricorn tells the ecstatic crowd that he came back for two reasons. The first is because he wants to see a dance. And the second is because he never had a chance to say goodbye. Capricorn then precedes to say goodbye, individually, to all 1,100 students, using each of their names. It takes almost an hour, and during the time the crowd stands in rapt silence. Even Zach is impressed: “No football player could fail to recognize what I was experiencing right then. It was the moment on the field when you realize that you’re completely, hopelessly outclassed” (198).

Afterwards, Darryl hoists Capricorn onto his shoulders and deposits him next to his grandmother. Zach overhears Mrs. Donnelly yelling at Rain for not teaching Capricorn about real-world issues, like how money works. She ends by saying, “You won’t live forever, you know” (200). This is also the moment when Zach realizes that the cancelled Halloween dance was Capricorn’s doing. But by that point he has no wish to destroy Capricorn.