A Brief Word From the Dead Kid
- Charlie admits that he always thought that Vera was too good for him; she even came from a nicer family than his.
- Once when he was a kid, he tried to take his plate to the sink after dinner—just like he'd seen at Vera's household—but his dad freaked out and told him to put it back because that was his mom's job as the woman.
- He also told him that if he ever acted like a girl again, he'd beat him up. Real winner, that guy.
- Charlie used to think that if he spent all of his time in the tree house away from his dad, he wouldn't end up like him.
- But he admits that he made some serious mistakes.
- The night of May Day, Vera found him in the bleachers with a bottle of Jack Daniels. She demanded to know why he was acting this way.
- Then she asked him if he was just doing it to get into Jenny Flick's pants, and he did the unthinkable: He hit her.