Goodbye Days

Carver goes to the Dearly show with Jesmyn. Georgia and her friends help get him ready, picking cool clothes for him to wear. Carver is so excited that he manages to forget about the accident and the legal investigation. In the car on the way to the show, Jesmyn surprises him by playing a recording of her playing music and singing. It’s an intimate moment. He asks for a copy of the recording.

Throughout the show, Carver is fixated on Jesmyn. At one point, he imagines Eli talking to him, telling him, “Here you are, man, using my ticket to go see a concert with my girlfriend after you sent the text that killed me. Why don’t you tell her you’re into her?” (309). After the show, Carver waits in line with Jesmyn to have Dearly sign a poster for her. She strikes up a conversation with the musician, telling him about Eli’s death and how a song Dearly dedicated to a friend of his who died in high school resonated with her. She also tells Dearly that she’s a musician herself and would love to play keyboard for him after she finishes college. He gives Jesmyn his manager’s business card, telling her to reach out after she’s finished school.