History—Age Fifteen
- Ninth grade is different for Charlie and Vera: They have different priorities and end up separate during most of school.
- Vera's busy with all her academic classes, while Charlie's off making new friends and being popular with the ladies.
- Summer rolls around and Charlie moves into his tree house. Even though Charlie and Vera are still best friends, they don't spend as much time together. She's also more careful about not being around if he's going to be meeting with John, the underwear collecting guy.
- Vera's dad asks her if she's okay, and if there's anything going on with boys, but she assures him that after what happened with her parents, she doesn't want to get tied down to any boys at this age.
- She continues to volunteer at the pet adoption center, and is starting to come to terms with the fact that her mom abandoned them. Vera also develops an odd talent: She's good at matching people up with the right pets for them.
- In August, a box of Shih Tzu puppies are dropped off, and since they're too young to stay at the pet adoption center overnight, Vera volunteers to take one home, even though she knows her dad won't like it.
- Her dad is predictably furious with her, so Vera pitches a tent outside so that she can keep the dog overnight. She loves hanging out with the little puppy.
- Around midnight, she hears Charlie outside. She lets him into the tent and shows him the puppy.
- The next day, Vera's dad drives her back to the pet store and makes her give back the puppy. When she comes home again, Charlie invites her to hang out in the tree house.
- When she gets up there, she sees that Charlie has been working hard on the tree house. He has a pulley system for water, a homemade skylight, has started carving designs into the wood, and even has an electric kettle to make instant noodles and hot chocolate.
- Charlie starts telling her about how he'll probably start going to vocational school because his dad tells him he's a blue-collar worker like him. Vera wonders if he's doing it for himself or for his father.