Summary

This chapter begins with Ponyboy in a hotel room in Chicago for a couple of days before heading back to their hometown in Iowa. They have continued going out to bars and drinking, and have gotten back in touch with their high school boyfriend, who they are to meet soon. They eat a lot of food and then purge it in the shower. Then, their mother picks them up to return to Iowa. Their relationship with their mother is positive, and they drive home together; she reveals that she dealt with addiction herself when she was 18, which Ponyboy had not known. At home, they find a rehab center that takes their insurance. Their mom continues to get them alcohol, as it is “not a good idea for [them] to detox at home” according to the rehab center (165).

Upon arriving at rehab, they...