The Rest of Us Just Live Here

The introduction describes Satchel finding a note on her pillow from Kerouac telling her he’s made a mistake. Kerouac also leaves her an amulet, which he tells her to wear at all times.

Mikey, in a great deal of pain in the days after the accident, sneaks out of the house one night to meet Jared in the Field, an outdoor meeting place for their friend group. Jared’s grandmother was a Goddess of cats who came from her world and into the mundane world during a battle between the Gods and the indie kids and fell in love with Jared’s grandfather. This history has left Jared with an affinity for cats and some healing powers. Jared helps with Mikey’s injuries as best he can, and the boys discuss Mikey’s mother’s newfound political path and the fact that Mr. Shurin, Jared’s father, will be running an underdog campaign against her.

Mikey returns home and commiserates with Mel about their mother’s disregard for their feelings about her political aspirations. Mikey goes to bed but wakes in the middle of the night to find his father drunk and sobbing at the edge of his bed and feeling guilty for not having been there when Mikey got hurt.