A List of Cages

This three-page chapter is narrated by Adam, who is still at Julian's bedside in the hospital room. Julian won't eat anything but a protein shake, and Adam has to keep the TV on in the room because Julian says the room is too quiet. Adam goes to sleep and has a nightmare about the refrigerator box his fifth-grade teacher put him in as an experiment for his ADHD. The photos of insects that were posted inside the refrigerator box come alive, and soon there are "millions of them" flying and crawling through the air, and Adam can’t get out of the box (252). When Adam finally wakes up, Julian asks him what kind of nightmare he had, but Adam doesn't tell Julian the truth. He tells him that the nightmare was about three dates he had for the prom, a theme that mimics some TV shows they both had been watching in the hospital room.

Adam continues to narrate from Julian’s hospital room as he attempts to do his calculus homework. Charlie comes by to visit Adam and Julian and confesses to Adam that he used to feel jealous of Julian because he was such a close friend of Adam's.