History—Age Fourteen
- Vera and Charlie are sitting at the Master Oak when Charlie pulls out a new pack of cigarettes and starts smoking.
- She asks him where he always gets a new pack and his nice new Zippo lighter, and he says that he has connections. What's that supposed to mean?
- Charlie wants to go check out the pagoda because he's bored, but Vera goes home to work on an essay about Romeo and Juliet. The problem is that whenever she thinks about the two star-crossed lovers, she can't help but picture herself and Charlie.
- Over the winter, Vera and Charlie are restless because they can't hang out in the tree house as much as they usually do. Charlie goes hunting with his dad sometimes, and Vera is happy for him.
- When spring comes, Charlie decides that he's going to add a deck to the tree house. He starts sketching out plans.
- Vera helps Charlie build the deck every day after school, but she can't do it on weekends anymore because her dad has made her get her first job as a busgirl at Mika's Diner. She hates it.
- Her dad also says that having a summer job is about making money, so she can't volunteer at the pet store. What a bummer.
- One day, Vera gets home from work and hears lots of yelling coming from the Kahn house. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kahn are yelling—which means that Charlie's the one who is in trouble this time.