The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things Chapter 18 Summary

  • Dr. Shreves is sending a care package to Anaïs in Burkina Faso, and she's asked Virginia if she wants to include a letter.
  • Virginia tries to write one, but she can't pretend everything is fine, and she knows her mom wouldn't want her to talk about the date rape.
  • After throwing away the seventh letter, she heads to a card store and buys a card instead.
  • Inside, she writes that she hopes all is well, and adds, "I miss you."
  • Well, that's pretty Shreves-worthy.
  • Back at school, they're having a ceremony to hand out the Model Brewster Student awards.
  • It's also Halloween, and the Bri-girls are wearing skintight cat suits to show off their skinniness.
  • Virginia sees Froggy in the stands, sitting next to a girl named Sarah.
  • Lovely.
  • A girl named Alyssa, who's always knitting something, asks Virginia if she's Byron Shreves' sister.
  • Virginia tentatively says yes.
  • Alyssa doesn't know about the rape. She just wants to tell Virginia she's heard Byron won the Model Brewster Student award every year he was there, and that he's a great guy.
  • Virginia tells her not to believe everything she hears.
  • Brie wins the award, of course, and Froggy wins a special award for graphic design.
  • After school, as she rides the crosstown bus home alone, Virginia decides she'll take her own money—she has $1000 in savings—and buy her own plane ticket to Seattle.
  • Go, Virginia, go—you buy that ticket, girl.
  • She does. She heads to a travel agent and hands over $500.
  • Just like that, she's going to visit Shannon whether her parents like it or not.