Things Not Seen Chapter 18 Summary

Pizza and Puzzles

  • Bobby's dad invites Alicia's family over to dinner and they decide that they're going to have a pizza party. What wholesome fun.
  • Their parents get along weirdly well—both their dads love talking science stuff, and their moms both majored in English literature and are talking all about their favorite novels and poems.
  • To escape their parents, Alicia and Bobby go into the study to use the Internet. They search "invisible people," which seems like the most logical search term.
  • Bobby's dad calls to them, and tells him to go get his electric blanket and his dad's oscilloscope, whatever that is. He and Alicia's dad need to test something.
  • They start going over every part of the electric blanket in order to figure out if something isn't working. Bobby starts to get frustrated that his dad is ignoring him while he's looking over the blanket, so he and Alicia go into the kitchen and grab some ice cream.
  • Bobby flips on the television and Alicia tells him to stop because The King and I is on and it's one of her favorite movies; she replays it in her head while she listens.
  • Bobby stares at her because she's so pretty, and then works up the courage to ask her what she sees him looking like in her mind. She tells him that she doesn't care what he looks like; she knows he's honest, smart, and kind.
  • Bobby tells her that she would have never gotten to know him before this, because she was popular and he's just an average dude—the popular kids at his school don't even notice him.
  • Alicia's family eventually leaves, and when Bobby asks his dad about the blanket, he admits that they're still trying to figure things out.