A Heart in a Body in the World

Malcolm, Zach, and Olivia tell Annabelle that she and Grandpa have been gifted free tickets to a local water park where they’ll meet up with a reporter. There will also be supporters at the park wearing red T-shirts that read “Run for a Cause.” Zach tells Annabelle the GoFundMe page has reached $50,000 and that Annabelle should start thinking of a foundation where she could donate the money.

Grandpa is very excited to go to the water park. At the water park, they see a group of people with red “Run for a Cause” T-shirts. They also run into Luke and Dawn Celeste, whom Grandpa invited to surprise Annabelle. Annabelle is happy to see Luke, and everyone spends a fun day at the park. Luke tells Annabelle that Dawn Celeste is in love with Grandpa. Afterward, the four of them have dinner at the nearby hotel restaurant. After dinner, Luke and Annabelle hide on the second floor of the hotel and spy on Grandpa and Dawn Celeste as they say goodnight in the lobby. Grandpa gives Dawn Celeste a small wooden carving, which Annabelle originally thought resembled a raccoon turd. Luke recognizes the carving as a dove and tells Annabelle that Dawn Celeste has a dove tattoo on her lower back. Luke and Annabelle joke about the “Dove-ass-tattoo-raccoon turd” (274) and make each other laugh, but Luke thinks the romance between Dawn Celeste and Grandpa is sweet. Annabelle finally says goodnight to Luke and realizes she feels really happy after such a fun day.

As Annabelle tries to fall asleep, she has more memories of The Taker.

After the night of the concert, The Taker frequently calls and texts Annabelle, shows up at her part-time job, and holds her hand under the table at school. The behavior makes Annabelle feel flustered, but “[s]he doesn’t exactly mind. She sort of likes the secret of it, the slow quiet of what is hidden. But he doesn’t want slow, and he doesn’t want hidden” (278). Nevertheless, things about The Taker still make Annabelle uncomfortable, and she can’t help but wonder if The Taker’s friends actually exist.

One night The Taker calls Annabelle and confesses that an incident happened that caused him to change schools. The Taker’s parents had a friend who hired The Taker to do odd jobs around his house and would often come up with excuses to get The Taker alone or make him stay late. One day The Taker stole the friend’s collection of rare coins. The Taker’s parents asked him why he did it, and the Taker couldn’t answer them. The Taker tells Annabelle he was just furious at the man and wanted to do something to get back at him. Before he hangs up, The Taker tells Annabelle he’s glad she’ll never leave him. After hearing The Taker’s story, Annabelle feels “[s]he doesn’t know how to understand this story. In a way, she feels sorry for The Taker. But the story is distressing” (280). Annabelle realizes she doesn’t really know The Taker.

A little while later, Will, Annabelle’s ex-boyfriend, unexpectedly shows up at Annabelle’s house. Annabelle is happy to see Will and realizes how much she missed him. Will and Annabelle go up to Annabelle’s room, where they talk for a long time and decide to get back together.

Annabelle wakes up early and runs to another small town in Illinois, where she meets Grandpa, Dawn Celeste, Luke, and the RVs at a church parking lot. The townspeople and a local Cub Scouts troop are hosting a barbeque in the parking lot in Annabelle’s honor. After the barbeque, Annabelle and Luke sit outside and talk. Annabelle and Grandpa will be sleeping in their RV, but Dawn Celeste and Luke plan to drive ahead and meet Annabelle and Grandpa in the next town. Annabelle tells Luke she can’t believe he and Dawn Celeste are willing to follow Annabelle and Grandpa’s route. Luke jokes that his grandmother is only going along with it to see Annabelle’s Grandpa. Finally, Dawn Celeste calls Luke inside her RV so they can start driving.

Later that night Annabelle talks to Zach over Skype. Zach tells Annabelle that her mother feels bad about Annabelle missing her high school graduation. Annabelle replies that she didn’t feel bad. Annabelle privately thinks, “She didn’t feel bad about missing all the horrible stuff—the tributes, the look back at the shattered graduating class. But she did feel bad after seeing the photos of her friends with their arms around each other” (288). Zach says that he, Olivia, Malcolm, and Gina are flying in to meet Annabelle and Grandpa in Chicago. Annabelle asks how they can afford it, and Zach explains that Annabelle’s father, who recently became a Catholic priest, got them rooms in an off-campus apartment at a church. Annabelle is surprised to hear this, since her father has been mostly absent from her life since he became a priest, but Zach says her father has been calling Gina for updates and been supportive of Annabelle’s run. Annabelle is “kind of pissed at this magic trick, how she’s gone from unseen to seen in her father’s eyes, but it’s also kind of nice, too” (290). She decides he’s making progress to mend their relationship.

The next morning Malcolm calls Annabelle and again tells her that they’ll be flying out to Chicago. Malcolm says their father will be coming, too, causing Annabelle to remember some of the nice childhood memories she has of her father. Before they hang up, Annabelle tells Malcolm that Dawn Celeste and Luke will also be in Chicago.