All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

Kellen buys Wavy a helmet. For Wavy, this gesture amounts to the first signal of some sort of permanent relationship in her life. While in the store, the clerk assumes Wavy is Kellen’s child. Kellen finally identifies Wavy as a “friend.” He sees Wavy admiring the motorcycle boots and buys her a pair so she can get rid of her old snow boots. When he takes Wavy home, Val has gotten out of bed and cleaned herself up. “I’d only seen Val out of bed a couple times, and there she was with her hair done” (43), Kellen notes. She tells Kellen that Wavy should be riding the bus to school and sends him away.

Using her grandmother’s old cookbook, Wavy starts making dinners so Kellen will have a reason to keep coming to her house once the school year ends. She sends Kellen for groceries, and Kellen runs into Liam, who recognizes the ingredients and asks if Val is making her mother’s meatloaf. Kellen doesn’t know what to say when Liam decides he’s going to Val’s for dinner. Kellen reports the situation to Wavy, who goes to her mother’s room; Val is, as usual, in bed. Once she hears Liam is coming, Val gets up and showers.