Wink

Ross and Abby go to his house to prepare before meeting the rest of their group backstage in the school auditorium. Ross is stopped by Isaac, Chris, and a few other classmates. Isaac tells Ross that he and his group bought a gift for him: a black cowboy hat with a recreation of Batpig drawn on the front. Isaac shoos away his group and then confesses to Ross that he was scared and uncertain when he learned about the cancer, so he just stopped communicating altogether. He hopes Ross can forgive him; Ross implies he can. They shake hands, and Isaac slips Ross an Oreo—a reminder of the Great Oreo Pact.

Ross tries the new hat and thinks it looks great, so he keeps it on. Abby’s pleased about Isaac’s gift, but she maintains that he is a “jerk.” Sarah and Denise are running the talent show; the principal wished to pull them out as punishment, but no one else wanted to take over responsibility at such late notice.

Denise tells Ross his band is the last act. Her nasty manner riles up the band members while Sarah tries to keep her distance. When both girls are gone, Ross steps outside to calm himself. The show begins, and it seems unreal to Ross. A boy juggles bowling pins, which Ross draws. The band’s time to perform arrives.

Onstage, Ross feels nervous. He freezes in front of the microphone, aware of Sarah and Denise watching him, as well as the audience. His nerves disappear when he hears Jerry call, “Go, Dime Slot!” (298). Jerry’s presence causes Ross to realize that performing with his friends is the only thing that matters in that moment. He draws Batpig holding a flag that says, “Don’t Care!” Ross relaxes, smiles, and starts “Take It Easy.”

Mid-performance, Ross launches his plan. He pretends the song isn’t right and plays the Ramones song “Judy’s a Punk” as Jimmy drums a faster, louder rhythm. Ross removes his hat to expose a short mohawk, the result of his earlier preparations with Abby. The band’s performance is energetic, sloppy, and joyous. Ross ends the act by smashing his guitar on the stage floor; he channels his anger, frustration, and bad memories into the instrument’s destruction, which he sketches. The band members gather at the microphone when they’re finished; Ross yells their thanks, calling their band Cowboy Ross and the Loading Dock Misfits (a reference to a place they often hang out).

Frank’s applause breaks the audience’s stunned silence, and then some of the crowd enthusiastically joins in. Ross doesn’t care if a portion of the audience appears bewildered; he only cares about how he, Abby, and Jimmy feel. He feels wonderful. He feels even better when he sees Sarah and Denise back away as the band exits the stage.

The band members hug each other and laugh. They meet Frank, Denny, Lisa, Linda, Ross’s father, and Abby’s parents. Ross explains how he surreptitiously switched the guitar with a broken one that Frank gave him to destroy. Abby defends Ross’s hairstyle, which she helped create, by stating that he’s already partially bald. Jimmy’s parents aren’t there, which upsets Ross, though it doesn’t seem to bother Jimmy.

Jerry arrives with Callie, who’s pushing the wheelchair Jerry’s using. Jerry greets Ross as Dime Slot and makes a rock hand. Jerry teases Ross, claiming he isn’t sure the second part of the act was actually music before he shakes Ross’s hand and offers his heartfelt congratulations.

Callie takes Jerry home to rest while everyone else goes to the auditorium to hear who won. Isaac and Chris approach the group. Isaac looks at Ross and Abby and tearfully says, “I want to be you when I grow up” (310). He hugs Ross and then Abby, who shows no resistance. She tells Isaac to join the group and bring along Chris. Ross’s band doesn’t win the show, but the trio is unperturbed. Ross hears someone suggest they grab a bite to eat. While they discuss where to go, Jimmy asks if anyone likes Dagwood’s, the sandwich restaurant Ross loves.

It’s three days later. Ross sits with Abby on the front steps of her old house; Abby’s parents are wrapping things up after the movers left. When Abby’s mother declares they’re ready to go, Abby yells a goodbye to her old house. Ross assures Abby they will text and call each other regularly, but they still feel sad. They hug for a long moment, but before she reaches the car, she runs back to tell him he’ll be okay. Soon after, the Petersons are gone.

When he gets home, Ross’s father asks if he’s okay; he admits he isn’t sure. He goes to his room, picks up the acoustic guitar, and begins to play. His phone receives a text heavy with typing errors from an unknown number. It’s Jimmy, using a phone Denny gave him, and he wants to know if Ross can play with him tomorrow. Ross responds with a video of a bear jabbing a smartphone and agrees, adding that Jimmy needs to learn to type.

Ross plays the guitar, determined to learn to play the F chord. He draws Batpig sitting on the edge of a bed while he attempts to play a chord on the guitar.