Painting
There are a couple allusions to painting throughout the novel. The big one, of course, is when Bobby paints the mural on the wall (and then gets arrested). Basically, what he paints is a giant self...
Flying
There's only one real reference to flying, but it's a doozy of a reference from Nia as she slips into a coma. Here it is:But by the time I was ten I wanted to be a balloonist, and just fly up high...