- Geoffrey sends Jack a short story he'd written about an American in Italy who kills a prostitute.
- Geoffrey also mentions that Jack's dad is now living and working in California.
- Dwight smacks Jack around after throwing away an empty mustard jar.
- Jack called Geoffrey and tells him about Dwight's horrible treatment. He, um, exaggerates some of the details. Geoffrey promises to get him out of there.
- Geoffrey asks about some of Jack's high school accomplishments and suggests that he might be able to get into a private school with them.
- Jack's mom goes back to work as a waitress now that the political campaign is over. It kind of gets her down. So does the time when Dwight hears she might try to leave him, then takes her in the woods and holds a knife to her throat until she promises otherwise.
- Jack starts applying to private schools. He gets a book called The Status Seekers to find out how the upper class acts. He gets letters back from the schools and is encouraged by what he hears, but is scared when he learns he has to take the SATs.
- Jack's dad calls when Dwight is away. His mom's mood brightens, and Jack's dad pushes him to apply to private schools. He offers to bring the two of them to California for the summer.
- Jack's mom drives him to Seattle to take the SATs. He aces them, in part because he sees it as a competition with whoever wrote the questions.
- After the test, he observes the other boys who took it, upper class boys. He notes their movements.
- Jack gets Arthur to steal official letterhead envelopes for him. He uses them to forge recommendations.