Flight Of The Puffin

Jack writes a letter to the school board and heads to the town hall, which he finds is closed. Unsure of what to do with his letter, knowing that it would get wet if he left it there, Jack turns to go. He sees Libby standing in the rain behind him, holding a plastic bag. Libby admits that she recognizes Jack and asks him what he was thinking when he said those things at the town hall meeting. Jack explains that he doesn’t want things to change, and Libby argues that people in worse circumstances might feel differently. She hands Jack a card with some mushrooms on it that wishes him a “fungnificent” day (181), and Jack is confused about why she’s giving it to him but appreciates it, nevertheless. Libby gives him a bag to put his letter in, and Jack smiles as he watches her walk away.

T thinks back to when they told their mom that they didn’t identify as a boy or as a girl and how their mom judged them rather than offering love and support. T’s mom also sent them to therapy, but T never felt like anything needed fixing.

Vincent decides that he can’t back down and must return to school. He plans to put his hands on his hips and create triangles with his arms to feel stronger and more powerful. He stops to give T some food on his way to school, and when he gets there, Cal almost instantly confronts him, making fun of him for being gone for so long. Vincent puts his hands on his hips and demands that Cal give his shirt back, and when Cal laughs at him, Vincent stands firm. Cal then walks away, and Vincent feels better.

After gym class, Cal approaches Vincent in the locker room, and when Cal makes fun of Vincent for liking puffins, he simply agrees. The security guard walks by, clearly to check on Vincent, and he knows he has extra support. On his way home, Vincent runs up to T, telling T what he accomplished. T is proud of Vincent but still feels hopeless and abandoned without their family. Vincent offers to take T home, but T declines. Vincent also tries to get T to stand with triangle arms and feel stronger, but it doesn’t have much effect. Vincent promises to return with more food tomorrow, including some Puffins cereal.

In Jack’s letter to the school board, he admits his wrongs and expresses a willingness to change to meet the new standards. He talks to his mom about acceptance and letting people be who they are, and he tells her about Vincent and his friend T. Jack remembers how Alex loved butterflies and wanted to be one, and he recalls Alex’s drawings of butterflies. He goes up to the attic to find them and pulls out dozens of pictures that Alex drew, covered in glitter, colors, and butterflies. Jack insists that it’s time to hang the drawings up, even if it makes his dad uncomfortable, and his mom agrees. Jack asks his mom why she didn’t stand up for Alex more, and she admits that she was trying to keep the peace with their father.

When Jack gets to school, he tells his teachers about his letter and his newfound belief that the bathrooms should be changed to accommodate everyone. His teachers are hesitant at first, but Mr. Sasko admires Jack’s courage to stand up for what he believes is right and agrees that things should change. In his locker, Jack finds a card from Joey, with drawings of bees on it and a note saying how much he missed having Jack at school.

In art class, Libby and her classmates color drawings of the old town mill and other historic buildings. They’re instructed to use only “historically accurate” colors, but Libby insists on adding yellow, orange, and red to depict a sunrise behind the mill. She thinks about how honoring the past has flaws, especially when regarding her family’s history. In homeroom, Libby gets a letter from Jack, which explains that Jack knows Vincent and knows that he received Libby’s card. Libby can’t believe what she’s reading. Finding Jack’s phone number on the back, she goes to the bathroom to text him and confirm that she sent the card to Vincent.

Vincent stops to see T on the way to school and leaves some food. He then asks again if they want to call home. T refuses, and Vincent heads to school, where he finds out that his math teacher is starting a geometry club with him and one other student. Vincent imagines the triangle that he, his teacher, and the other student will form and already feels like he belongs.

After school, Libby goes to see her mom at work, and while she wants to tell her that she needs room to grow and be herself, she instead asks her mother if she likes her at all. Libby’s mother doesn’t exactly answer the question, instead explaining that when she grew up, being liked wasn’t something she worried about. For most of her childhood, she ate cheap food out of cans and dreamed of a life in which she could eat fresh, homecooked meals. Seeing that her mother is upset and busy, Libby decides to leave. She pulls out her last index card, which depicts a sunrise, and writes a thank-you note to her mother for making dinner for her. She places the card on her mother’s windshield.

After school, Jack plays basketball with Joey. Mr. Sasko approaches them and announces that the school’s funding will likely be approved, and Jack and Joey are thrilled. Jack suggests celebrating by inviting Joey over for a snack, and Joey happily agrees. They eat banana bread at Jack’s house, and Jack asks how Joey got the idea to make him an art card. Joey explains that he found one outside the dentist’s office one day and that it helped him feel better, and Jack realizes that the card is from Libby. He suggests making more cards to distribute, and Joey thinks it’s a great idea. Even Jack’s mom makes a card.

Libby makes dinner with a different attitude than she had before and receives a text from Jack with a photo of Joey holding the art card. Libby is happy that someone who needed her card found it, and she almost starts to cry when she sees that Jack and Joey made more cards to give away. It inspires her to text her mom and explain how the art cards are her way of helping others. That night, Libby finds new pencil crayons and cards on her bed. She finally feels like someone is giving her the room she needs to be herself.

T sits on the sidewalk, and the local pastor approaches with three cards. The cards are from Joey, Jack, and Jack’s mom, and they remind T that they’re loved and that it’s okay to be themself. Jack’s mom admits that she wishes she could have shown her son, Alex, more acceptance when he was alive. T starts to feel differently and gets up to make a phone call.

Vincent goes to T to tell them about his first geometry club and finds T talking to the pastor. T asks Vincent to come along while they make a phone call.

T and Vincent enter the church and call their uncle. T’s uncle is relieved to hear from them and wants them to come home; he even starts crying. T hangs up and looks at Vincent, smiling. T puts their hands on their hips and reminds themself that being themself is a great thing.