The History of Luck (Jude, Age 16)
- Jude is more sure than ever before about this stone sculpture thing. She has to work with Guillermo Garcia. Has to.
- Plus, despite her best efforts, she's been thinking about the English guy. Does that have anything to do with the "has to" thing?
- She's checking out Garcia's work online. It's intense: giants made out of granite.
- Here's Noah. Jude tells us he joined the cross-country team. That doesn't sound like the Noah we know.
- Noah stops in her room and asks if it's okay if he throws a party while their dad is out of town. Jude idly wonders if they've swapped personalities.
- Jude points out that the weekend will be the anniversary of their mother's death. Noah counters by saying the party won't be on that exact day.
- She thinks about how different Noah is now. He's changed a lot in two years. The only trace of his former self is the Lost Connections messages he secretly posts online. She's pretty sure those are for Brian.
- By the way, Jude knows about Noah's crush on Brian. Jude wishes she could take back going into the closet with Brian at that party. It's hard living a life of regret.
- Then Jude reflects on the changes she's seen in her dad. He's lost a lot of weight, and he looks totally miserable.
- She remembers back when her mom had the accident. Mom had been on the way to see Dad at a hotel at the time. They were separated.
- Jude's dad and Noah catch sight of the screensaver on her computer: one of Garcia's sculptures. They don't like it.
- In fact, Noah dislikes it so much that he secretly changes the screensaver later. Intriguing, much?
- Party time. Jude has pulled a dresser against her bedroom door. Guess she's feeling antisocial.
- She's resolved to go see Garcia and ask him to mentor her. Good luck, girl.
- When she arrives at the studio, Jude decides to spy on Garcia instead of talking to him. She climbs up the fire escape to peer in the window.
- She sees a bunch of stone giants. Oh, here's Garcia. He's cleaned up since the last time she saw him. He seems way less wild and troll-like.
- She watches him work. His process is intense.
- The next morning, Jude sneaks back to Garcia's fire escape. She's going to spy on him so more.
- Garcia seems to have been in his studio all night.
- Garcia seems to be…sobbing? Jude decides it's time to ghost.
- Small problem with that plan: Garcia spotted her through the window. He looks mad.
- Jude's trying to run away, but she runs smack into Garcia. Oops.
- She's blubbering a little, talking about head injuries. As you do.
- Garcia instantly thinks she's crazy. (And do you blame him?) Still, he's sort of amused by it.
- Jude admits she wants him to mentor her. She's blubbering again. Garcia asks her in for a coffee.
- Inside, Jude vaguely wonders if Garcia intends to murder her. His house is a mess.
- Garcia makes the coffee. For some reason Jude tells him about her game with Noah—the one where they divide up the world. She tells him about the torn-up portrait. She kept the fragments.
- Jude and Garcia are getting along famously. They're both strange, and at least a little bit miserable, so the conversation suits them.
- Out of nowhere, Jude thinks she hears her mom reciting her favorite poem. She takes it as a sign that she's in the right place.
- Guillermo (guess they're on a first-name basis now) is showing Jude around his studio. Taking in his work, Jude wonders if he's lovesick.
- They sit down for coffee. Guillermo says he's not taking students anymore. He just doesn't have the spark anymore.
- Jude is so disappointed. She's crying. She tries to leave.
- Luckily Guillermo sees she's in about as bad a place as he is, and agrees to mentor her. He seems surprised at himself.
- Outside, Jude runs into the hot English guy. Still hot. Still English. Oh, and he's on a motorcycle.
- Motorcycle guy guesses that Jude's there to get mentored. He thinks she's in college, by the way. He's surprised to learn that Guillermo agreed to the plan.
- Jude begins to walk away. The guy says her photos turned out great. He stopped by the church a few times hoping to show her.
- As she leaves, the guy tosses Jude an orange. According to Grandma Sweetwine's bible, oranges make people fall in love. Jude throws it back.
- Okay, now the English guy gives the orange again. This time he won't take it back. Jude hides it in his motorcycle helmet when he's not looking. That's a lot of orange play.
- The next day, Jude heads over to Guillermo's with her portfolio. Standing at the door, she hears what she thinks are sex noises.
- Update: those weren't sex noises. The English guy and Guillermo are just eating donuts. They must be really good.
- The English guy tosses Jude the orange. Also, he has a name: Oscar.
- Oscar and Guillermo are old friends. Apparently, Guillermo saved Oscar from himself when he was a substance abuser.
- Oscar bets Jude that she can't eat a donut without moaning. She loses.
- Does anyone else think that's weird?
- Guillermo prepares to look at Jude's portfolio while Oscar strips. Whoa, he's like totally nude.
- Turns out Oscar's going to be the model for their drawing session. On her way into the studio, Jude slips the orange into his jacket pocket.
- Guillermo is confused by Jude's portfolio, which is filled with broken stuff. She tells him about her mother's ghost.
- They head off into the studio to draw naked Oscar.
- In the studio, Jude and Guillermo sketch. He's not happy with her drawings, so he has her try a weird exercise where she just draws in the air.
- After the session, Oscar (no longer naked) comes in to talk to Jude. She wonders if they've met before. He's so familiar.
- (We know what she doesn't—that he's familiar from Noah's drawing.)
- Oscar tells Jude he left a photo for her in the church, but someone else took it. Interesting.
- He asks if he can take more photos of her later. She resists.
- Someone named Sophia has arrived to see Oscar. As she's walking in, Oscar tells Jude that his mother prophesized (!) that he'd meet a girl. He thinks that girl is Jude.
- Here's Sophia. She kisses Oscar hello. On the lips.
- Jude is freaking out. Is this his girlfriend? She must be. So much for prophesies.
- Sophia and Oscar take off on his motorcycle. Jude is practically sick.
- Jude's just walking around Guillermo's house now. She goes into an office, where she snoops through some of the papers and books.
- She finds a love letter and a book by her mother. She steals both. Why? She's not sure.
- Jude and Guillermo practice rock carving for the rest of the day. As she goes home, Jude notices that Oscar's put three oranges in her bag.
- This is starting to seem like a waste of fruit, guys.
- At home, Jude goes into her room. There's Noah, going through her sketchpad. Jude's surprised.
- Jude starts telling him about the sculpture she wants to make. Noah fakes a phone call to get out of there. Why?
- Jude arrives at Guillermo's. He seems to be out. She has a quick conversation with Grandma Sweetwine, who's asking about Oscar.
- Speaking of which…here's Oscar in the flesh. Did he overhear Jude's conversation with her ghostly grandma? Yikes.
- How much did he hear? Oh, not much, Oscar says. Jude's not sure if he's telling the truth.
- Oscar keeps flirting, and Jude starts to get mad. He has a girlfriend.
- Irritated, Oscar now admits that he heard everything. Oh dear.
- Also, he doesn't have a girlfriend. He and Sophia used to go out, but that was years ago. And that makes the kiss on the lips normal, right?
- They talk more. Oscar says that Guillermo warned him not to date Jude. Oscar's a bit of a player, it sounds like.
- Oscar is amazed that Guillermo took her on as a student, by the way. That's why he's going to try not to pursue Jude romantically. (Keyword: try.)
- Jude's confused by all these mixed signals. They keep talking and flirting. She's charmed. He is English, after all.
- Soon, the conversation takes a dark turn and the two are discussing the bad things they've done.
- Oscar tells a terrible story about how he stole painkillers from his dying mother. He's so undone by telling this story that he leaves.
- As he leaves, Jude slips Guillermo's love note into Oscar's jacket pocket.
- With sudden certainty, Jude realizes the sculpture that she needs to make is not of her mother.
- Later, Jude's in Guillermo's studio with all the stone giants. As they work, she pulls out info on Oscar. He's 19 and in college.
- Guillermo warns Jude not to get involved with Oscar. The artist loves him like a son, but he's not great with women.
- The sculpture that Jude's building is her and Noah. As she works, she remembers the day she saved Noah from drowning.
- He said he wasn't trying to commit suicide. Jude isn't sure.
- Jude's afternoon of sculpting was intense. She wonders if she's cut out for it.
- Jude's wandering around Guillermo's house again. She goes up into the loft, which is where Oscar sometimes sleeps.
- She lies in Oscar's bed like a creep. She looks through his books and papers. She tries on his leather jacket.
- She looks through his photos. Here are the ones of her that he took in the church. They're covered with notes.
- The notes are about his mother's prophecy. Remember, he thinks that he was destined to meet Jude.
- Now thoroughly in L-U-V, Jude prepares to leave. She's going to find Oscar and confess her feelings.
- Hold the phone. Oscar's back…and he's with a woman. Jude panics and hides in his closet.
- Hearing Oscar and the girl kiss, Jude emerges from the closet. Oscar's surprised. His lady friend is mad.
- Jude runs away, still wearing Oscar's jacket. Later, she finds a photo of herself in one of the pockets.
- Dude.
- Jude hears someone approaching. She assumes it's Oscar. It's not. It's Noah. He looks panicked.
- Great place to end a chapter.