The Value of Anything
- After class, Karl sees Gratz and gets his letter. Gratz apologizes for freaking out and tells him to relay to the Madmen the next day's assignment and let them know he'll be making a public apology next week.
- In trig, Karl tells Bonny about the walk-out in Gratz's class. He thinks about how she was a good girlfriend but had too many problems. Like, how he was only allowed to touch her when she was drunk so she'd be absolved of any role she played in it.
- Also, how she got mad at him after prom because he didn't have a condom and wouldn't have sex with her. Yeah, we don't really know what to say about that either.
- Karl says he doesn't know why he didn't walk out of class with the others; Bonny says it's because he's different since he stopped drinking.
- Danny and Cheryl show up from the principal's office, and Karl gives them Gratz's message. Larry makes a bunch of weird comments about going to Detroit with horny fat girls. Typical.
- Karl can't concentrate in math because he keeps thinking about the letter in his locker and how he's out of therapy. Meanwhile, Paul's outburst in class will probably keep him there.
- In gym class, Danny is acting ticked off and not talking to Karl. Squid tells Karl that he heard about Gratz's outburst and that Paul told him Karl didn't go to the office because he has a letter to get out of therapy.
- Karl feels guilty, even though Squid says he can tell Karl still wants to be friends with their group. Mostly, Karl feels terrible about losing Paul as a friend.
- After school, Karl tries to talk to Paul on the bus and give him the message about homework in Gratz's class. He asks how Paul knew he has the letter to stay out of therapy.
- Paul tells him he overheard Karl's conversation with Gratz after class the day before. He said he thought about asking for the same deal, but sucking up to Gratz wasn't worth it.
- When Karl gets home, he finds his mom packing for a trip to Put-in-Bay with her new boyfriend, Bill, who's a college professor at Saint Jerome in Sandusky. She's super stoked.
- Karl knows this will probably end badly, but he knows better than to actually say as much. He tells her he's happy for her. When he leaves for work, she's relaxing on the porch with her suitcase, waiting for Bill.
- Tonight is Karl's first Friday night at Philbin's, so he decides to just eat dinner there, too. While he's eating, Squid comes in and sits on the stool next to him at the counter; Karl gets the staff to make him a meal.
- Karl and Squid talk about Karl's feelings regarding the uproar in Gratz's class and his letter and how he feels like he's betraying his friends. He wishes Squid luck at his football game.
- Karl serves food to a big post-movie crowd after Casablanca lets out, then kicks back and decides to read Huckleberry Finn. He decides that if Huck lived in Lightsburg today and went to their school, he'd definitely be a Madman. Listening to his story of abuse is like hearing a new person's tales of woe at a therapy meeting.
- Philbin's idea of opening the drugstore for the movie crowd works. They even get some kids from the school in after the game. He slaps Karl on the back and tells him they'll do it again the next night.