Chapter 72: August’s House

Jack and August have not yet chosen a topic for their science project, and Jack keeps trying to put it off. But August is a serious student, so eventually, he insists on meeting up after school to get some work done. This arrangement scares Jack because he is afraid August may have told his parents about Halloween. Jack only ends up talking to August’s mom for a couple of seconds, but she shows no sign of knowing anything.

August’s room is full of Star Wars stuff. He has great video games and a brand-new computer. Jack, who has no computer at home, is tempted to play with all this stuff, but August insists on working instead. August makes a series of suggestions, but Jack honestly does not want to do anything for the science fair. He plays with the dog, Daisy, whom he declares “the cutest dog ever.” August turns the conversation back to science, but Jack complains that all the topics sound hard or boring.

Eventually August convinces Jack to try making a lamp powered by potatoes. Just as they arrive at this decision, Olivia knocks on the door. Jack notices immediately how beautiful she is and how her eyes narrow when she hears his name. She says she is bringing someone to meet August, and August has to be nice.

When Olivia leaves, Jack asks if she knows about Halloween. August admits that she does and that she probably hates Jack for it.

Chapter 73: The Boyfriend

A few minutes later, Olivia brings a boy her age to meet August. Jack thinks the boy, Justin, seems pretty nice. He wears glasses and carries an odd-looking case. He seems nervous as he compliments August’s bedroom. Watching this, Jack reflects that it is easy to forget how hard meeting August can be.

August grins and asks Justin if he is Via’s boyfriend. Nobody answers this question, which basically means the answer is yes. Together, Jack and August tease Justin about the case he is carrying, which looks like it contains a machine gun but really contains a fiddle. August suggests that Justin pretend it is a gun to prevent people from messing with him.

Justin explains that he plays the fiddle for a zydeco band, but August and Jack do not know what that is. When Justin explains that it is a kind of music from Louisiana, they think he must be from the South. He says he is from Brooklyn, which strikes Jack as funny. As part 5 of Wonder ends, he and August burst out laughing.