Trapped

Weems gets a thrill hopping over the counter to get to the food. When Pete flips up the gate, Weems flips it back down so he “could hop it again on the way out” (86). The group finds peanut butter, bread, and jelly in the fridge and makes sandwiches.

Concern arises over whether they should close the fridge door to keep things from going bad. Weems says they should because of the milk and realizes he’d “always been kind of a worrier” and now has real things to worry about (89).

After lunch, the group goes to the second floor. Weems looks out the window and thinks it looks like a model of the Earth “half covered with spray-on snow” (92). Freezing rain is falling now, which means it’s warmer outside. The rain will leave a crusty layer on top of the snow, which reminds Weems of his mom’s mac and cheese. He forces himself not to think about home because it will only make him worry about things he can’t control. Les and Elijah go missing. The chapter ends with Weems realizing “this was when we started splitting up” (95).

The group breaks up into subgroups: Weems, Jason, and Pete; Julie and Krista; Les and Elijah. Les and Elijah move into a different classroom from the other kids, and Jason goes down to the shop to work on Flammenwerfer. Pete begs Weems to go with him to talk to Julie and Krista. Weems says no and goes to the bathroom. When he comes back, Pete is still sitting by himself. Weems joins him. They admit how worried they are about their families, something they’ve been avoiding because they “didn’t really know anything and had no way of finding out” (98).

The emergency lights come back on, and it’s obvious the batteries are wearing down. This prompts Julie to remember there’s a radio in the main office. She and Pete go to look for it, and Weems and Krista go back to the cafeteria for more food. Weems thinks of the trip like a date, even though it isn’t one at all. He and Krista end up having fun, of a sort. They get close, but Weems can’t bring himself to kiss her.