Save Me a Seat

After Joe’s normal breakfast, his mom offers to drive him to school in the morning, and everything feels back to the way it’s supposed to be. Joe’s mom admits she’s going to quit her job; Joe protests half-heartedly but his mom is adamant. Joe’s dad reminds Joe that they are going to watch the baseball game later that night. Joe reassures his dog, Mia, who is afraid of thunderstorms. Joe grabs a glass bowl. When his mom asks, Joe promises to explain in the car: “When I tell my mom what I’m doing for my personal reflection project, she starts to cry. This time, for a change, it’s the happy kind of crying” (166). Joe’s good mood is aided by the fact that it’s pizza day. A minivan almost hits them, and when the woman and her kid get out at school, Joe realizes it’s Ravi. 

Ravi watches Joe and his mom come into school, recognizing Joe’s mom as one of the lunch monitors and remembering the cruel cartoon. He understands now that Dillon has been making fun of both himself and Joe. Amma reminds Ravi that she made him lunch, but hands him money so that he can buy pizza today at lunch as well.