- Epigraph: "We will go. Nowhere we know. We don't have to talk at all."—Beck
- Carmen is narrating again in the first person. It's the night before the first day of school.
- At Gilda's, it's the girls' annual birthday celebration.
- Usually they have spent the summer together—not this summer though. The Pants, however, were there with each of them.
- Carmen gets philosophical. When she is with her friends, life feels real, but when she is alone, life feels like dream—maybe the truth is in the feelings.
- The atmosphere is quieter than usual, even a bit awkward, but they all feel comfortable around the Pants.
- They have shared some details about their summers, but there are details yet to share—with the help of the Pants.