Summary

“A First Attempt at Flight”

In middle school, there is now a student even more effeminate than Eddy, who everyone calls “Trout Lips.” Privately, Eddy is fascinated by him but Trout Lips maintains his distance. One day Eddy shouts at him: “Shut the fuck up faggot” (171) and everyone laughs. Now that he is trying consciously to behave more masculine, Eddy receives fewer insults though they now hurt more than ever.

One day Eddy tells his little brother that he is running away. Eddy bribes his brother with treats in order to get him to tell their parents. He then takes off with a backpack. Eddy’s father chases him down and drags him back to the house. There, Eddy’s father starts crying and tells him never to run away again...