Harry is left to deliver the news to Vada, who is so upset that she will not even leave her bedroom. When she attends Thomas J.'s funeral, she has to run away, but on hurrying to Mr. Bixler's house she discovers that he is about to get married. She then runs to the spot where she and Thomas J. kissed, to reflect on what has happened. When she returns home, everyone is relieved, including Shelly, whom Vada begins to accept as her future stepmother. Vada's grief also manages to mend the rift between her and Harry, who explains to Vada that her mother's death was not her fault and things like that can happen without explanation. Later, Vada and Harry see Thomas J.'s mother, who still struggles with her son's death. She gives Vada her mood ring, which Thomas J. had found at their favorite spot, while Vada comforts her. On the last day of her writing class, Vada reads a poem that she has written about the death of Thomas J. and then goes outside to ride bikes with her new best friend, Judy.