Son of a Trickster

In the morning, Mrs. Jaks tells Jared that Sarah cut herself last night. He helps Sarah’s aunt clean up the blood in the kitchen before Sarah and her mother return from the hospital. Dylan drives Jared to school and tries to reassure him that Sarah’s self-harm was not his fault. When Jared tries to visit Sarah, her mom interrogates him about that night, but he blames her for Sarah’s mental health. She refuses to let him see Sarah and tells him he is no longer welcome at the Jakses’ house.

Jared goes to a party on the beach with Dylan but becomes bored quickly. Ebony sits next to him and eventually apologizes for the video she posted online. She gives Jared a ride home, and Sarah approaches them in the driveway. The girls argue and insult each other, while Maggie and Sarah’s mother have their own stand-off defending their children. Sarah tells Jared she loves him, but he is apprehensive to continue the relationship because of her instability. She shares that when she saw the fireflies, “It was [...] like coming home. Like being alive for the first time ever” (297). He compares that night to Darth Vader blowing up Alderaan, which angers her.