The Running Dream

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2011

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Part 2, Chapters 10-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2, Chapter 10 Summary

Before the girls can enter the school, they are greeted by Shandall Norwood, a track teammate who runs varsity but is erratic at times when throwing the discus. Shandall cries when she sees Jessica and gives her a big hug, but when the embrace ends, Jessica realizes there is nothing else to say. She can no longer run track, so she and Shandall don’t have that commonality to converse about anymore.

Fiona wheels Jessica into the school building, and as they round the first corner, Jessica sees the large decorative banner that says, “WELCOME BACK JESSICA!!!” (93). Fiona tells Jessica that Gavin helped her hang the sign up. Jessica thanks her, calling her the best friend ever.

The Liberty High campus is laid out like a wagon wheel, with each spoke or wing of the school assigned a number. The long, twisting ramp located in the 200 Wing, a path that adds to the clogged halls between classes, is now Jessica’s only means of accessing the wings of the school. She recalls swinging over and under the rails on the ramp when she was younger, something that will never happen again. Suddenly angry, she tries to push the wheelchair herself up the ramp only to find it more difficult than she expected. She also has trouble steering the chair, and, to her frustration, ends up holding up the students behind her who are trying to get to class.

In the classroom, Jessica isn’t sure where to sit; should she hop to her old seat, or stay in the wheelchair? How will she take notes if she remains in her chair? The teacher, Ms. Aloi, offers to help by bringing another empty desk alongside the wheelchair. She says that maintenance will deliver a table for Jessica to sit at soon.

Fiona boldly presents a list of homework assignments that Jessica owes and asks the teacher to exempt Jessica from as many as possible. She pleads with Ms. Aloi to consider Jessica’s situation. The teacher relents and says, “We’ll work something out” (94). The teacher announces Jessica’s return and everyone in the class cheers and applauds. Fiona winks at Jessica, a wink that tells Jessica that she can make it.

Part 2, Chapter 11 Summary

Some students approach Jessica to welcome her back, but many do not. This inaction bothers Jessica, who feels that she is “shutting down” (95) and “withdrawing” (95). Fiona encourages her to keep smiling and be friendly, but Jessica admits that is not easy to do. Most of her teachers have exempted her from some of her homework, but what she still has to complete remains overwhelming to her. She tries to catch up on work while learning new material, and it becomes a significant stressor.

Her science teacher, Mr. Vedder, excuses her from a major project. She thanks him, and then he asks about how her parents are handling everything. At first, Jessica is angry that he would ask such a personal question. Then she remembers that Mr. Vedder is a parent, and his daughter has gotten into scrapes in the past.

At lunchtime, instead of going to the courtyard to eat, Fiona directs Jessica to her track coach’s classroom. There she finds a huge welcome back party with all of her track teammates, coaches, and friends. Jessica cries at the sight.

Everyone begins to eat, and Coach Kyro comes up to Jessica to tell her how much she has been missed. She suddenly notices thebracelet that Kyro is wearing that has the name “Lucy” woven into it. Jessica feels guilty for not talking to him sooner. She avoided Kyro at the hospital and never returned his calls. Jessica apologizes, but he says he doesn’t blame her.

Jessica then broaches the subject of the issue her father has with Kyro. Reluctantly, Kyro admits that her father thinks he could influence the manner in which the insurance issues surrounding the accident are being addressed. This response was not an answer that Jessica expected. She considers then how her hospital stay was paid, and the ambulance, and the physical therapy, and everything else. Kyro directs her attention back to the party and tells her to enjoy herself. For a while, Jessica does, happy that she has been missed by her friends.

Part 2, Chapter 12 Summary

The only class that Jessica and Fiona don’t take together is math, and this is the teacher about whom Jessica is most worried. Ms. Rucker is “a machine. Never smiling, never flexing, never sharing anything personal” (101). She has a stern demeanor, and her short haircut reflects that rigidity. When Jessica enters the room, she doesn’t get a welcome back from Ms. Rucker, just a severe stare. Jessica asks Ms. Rucker to exempt her from some of her past assignments, and when she thinks Ms. Rucker will refuse the request, she explains that she has done all the odd numbered questions for most of the assignments. The teacher determines that the approach is an acceptable one.

Ms. Rucker asks Jessica if she will be sitting with Rosa, which catches Jessica off guard. Then she recalls that Rosa is the special-needs student in the motorized wheelchair who sits in the back of the room. Because she has difficulty speaking, Rosa is easily overlooked by the rest of the students, including Jessica. She wonders if other students will look at her as special-needs if she sits with Rosa, and then understands that the fear she has felt returning to school and perceiving herself asbeing different from everyone else is also what Rosa has experienced. Jessica admits that she has “acted like [Rosa] isn’t even there” (103) because it made things easier and less uncomfortable for her.

Jessica agrees to sit with Rosa, and halfway through the class, Rosa passes her a note. Jessica reads it and response back. Thus begins a back and forth conversation between the girls, wherein Jessica learns that Rosa is only a freshman, has cerebral palsy, can walk but must use arm crutches, and otherwise has been in a wheelchair her entire life. Rosa invites Jessica to sit with her and her friends during lunch in Room 402. When Rosa writes how lucky Jessica is to be getting a prosthetic leg, Jessica says it made “something in me break. Or connect. Or just change, somehow” (104). Jessica won’t ever run a 400-meter race in fifty-five seconds again, but she will be able to stand and walk on her own. Rosa never will.

Part 2, Chapters 10-12 Analysis

Jessica’s first day back at school prompts a mix of emotions in her. She is nervous, and suddenly feels out of place and unconnected to the other students. She feels she stands out obtrusively because of her wheelchair and her need to use the ramps to get into classroom wings. The classrooms themselves also induce anxiety, as she is not sure where to sit or how she can take notes. By negotiating with her teachers, Jessica skips some of the homework assignments she missed during her recovery.

At lunch, Fiona surprises Jessica with a giant pizza party that includes all of her friends and teammates. Coach Kyro is there as well, and Jessica apologizes to him for avoiding him during her time in the hospital. She also asks him about the issue between Kyro and her father, and the coach alludes to it being disagreements about insurance coverage from the accident. The notion of the cost of Jessica’s operation and prosthetic limb is not something she had considered, and will play into the plot of the novel.

In math class, Jessica sits at the back table with Rosa, a freshman with cerebral palsy. Jessica has overlooked Rosa in the past. Here is a girl who is viewed as special-needs and ignored by other students, a girl who won’t ever be able to walk on her own. Jessica will get that chance with a prosthetic leg, and she begins to understand how lucky she is, despite the loss of her leg.