Count Me In

Frustrated by his math homework, Chris goes outside to shoot hoops. Karina stops by and they chat about Mr. C’s condition and how everyone at school will respond to Karina’s posts. Then Chris asks Karina to tutor him while Mr. C is recovering. Karina agrees, so Chris invites her inside. They work, snack, and discuss what happened to them. Both have been having nightmares and are struggling to get over their fear.

Karina and her family visit Papa at the hospital again. Other relatives join, too. Papa stays positive, making jokes with the nurses and visitors. Out in the hall, Karina overhears everyone talking about the incident, shocked that something like this could happen in the US. Shortly thereafter, one of the policemen arrives and informs the family that they found the attacker’s car. During a hide-speed chase, the man crashed into a tree; his car exploded, killing him. Karina feels relieved.

Chris and Karina return to school. Chris wears his lucky socks for his math test and Karina wears her lucky shirt. On the bus, Chris ignores Quinn and his friends and sits with Karina instead.

After school, Ashley and Chris’s friends Diego and Trevor lead them to a memorial they made “near the sidewalk at the edge of the school grounds” (98) where Papa was attacked. The memorial includes a green chalk heart and signs about spreading love.

Coach approaches Chris during gym class and asks about the incident and Mr. C’s health. When they start playing, the other kids refuse to include Chris. Then at lunch, everyone whispers about Chris and Karina sitting together. In the hall afterward, Chris and Karina overhear classmates calling Mr. C “a foreigner [and] a terrorist” (101). Karina jumps in and defends him and her family. Afterward, she asks Chris if she said too much, but Chris encourages her. At the end of the day, Ms. Trotter gives Karina a card that she opens on the bus. The card includes a passage from early 20th-century English author G. K. Chesterton and is signed with Ms. Trotter’s first name, Amelia.

Papa is working with a physical therapist when Karina and her parents arrive for a visit. Karina photographs an encouraging card someone left Papa and posts it online with hashtags about staying strong and healing. Karina notices that Papa is in pain during his session, and wonders what will happen if he doesn’t fully recover. She misses him puttering around the house. Eager to support him, Karina decides to throw a welcome-home party when he returns home. She’ll bake her late grandmother’s special cake for the event, too.

Karina and Papa look through Papa’s old photo album together. The album contains photos from his childhood in India. He tells her about his family’s life there and how it felt when they left. He missed his old life but felt welcome in the US. He explains that this is why he doesn’t want to give up on the US now, especially since he’s lived here for 50 years. Before Karina leaves, Papa reminds her to enter the photo competition and tells her he put together a folder of worksheets for Chris. Back home, Karina discovers that Papa left the cake recipe in the folder, too.

At the memorial, Chris reflects on how his life has changed since befriending the Chopras and since the attack. However, he’s happy that so many people are supporting Karina’s family; he especially likes the memorial and Karina’s posts. Then he runs into the woman who phoned the police after the attack. She introduces herself as Anne Maxwell, a reporter for the Lonestar Times. Anne wants to write a story about the memorial, so Chris gives her Karina’s social media information. Before he bikes home, he spots a hateful message on an Indian menu and tears it up.

Karina’s family gathers at the hospital on the day Papa is discharged and sent to a rehabilitation center. Papa expresses discomfort about Karina’s social media posts, but Karina explains the situation and Papa eventually understands.

Karina stops by while Chris is shooting hoops with his friends in the driveway. She shows Chris Anne’s article and invites the boys to meet Ashley and Anne with her at the memorial. They ride their bikes to the school. Anne photographs the friend group in front of the site and promises to send them the picture. Karina takes pictures to post online.

Karina’s family helps Papa settle into the rehab center. In the courtyard, they discuss Papa’s situation, offering him encouraging words. Then Mom tells Papa he has to get better for his new grandchild, revealing that she’s pregnant. Karina has always wanted a sibling; she feels thrilled and surprised by life.

That night, Karina can’t sleep. She lies awake thinking about Papa and his condition. Then she flips through his photo album, photographs an old picture of Papa, and posts it online with the hashtags #WeBelong, #Immigrants, and #CountMeIn.

Chris wakes up to a rainstorm and lies in bed checking his phone. He sees Karina’s #CountMeIn post and realizes that many people are sharing it. He posts an image of his great-grandfather with the same hashtag.

Chris calls Karina after hearing their school is delayed because of flooding. They discuss Karina’s post. Then Anne stops by, offers to drive the kids to school despite the flood, and asks Karina if she can share her post. Throughout the day, more and more people like, comment on, and share the post, too. They also contribute their own photos with the same tag.

At school, Chris and Karina are relieved that someone put a tarp over the memorial so it wouldn’t get ruined in the storm. They also overhear kids talking about Karina’s post. At the end of the day, the friends are shocked to see a news van outside Karina’s home. Chris’s mom greets them at the bus stop and leads them into Chris’s house so they can avoid the reporters. Inside, Karina checks her post and discovers hateful comments. She starts crying and Chris wishes there was something he could do.