Summary

One morning while observing his father attempting to make him breakfast while high, the narrator remarks on how he prefers his father this way as he is typically much calmer. He then describes the details of his father’s cycles when he is using/coming down from drugs. As his drug use becomes more frequent and he falls behind on work, the narrator’s brother has to pick up the slack, which causes him to miss basketball practice, and as a result, playing time in games.

The narrator travels with his brother on the team bus to one of his games and notices how his brother sits alone and does not talk to anybody. This comforts the narrator, as he too has had trouble making friends at school, recounting his failed run at a student council position that left him ridiculed and embarrassed by...