Driver's Ed

Driver's Ed Summary | Plot Summary

Driver's Ed by Caroline B. Cooney, is the story of two sixteen-year-olds, who fall in love and make a tragic mistake. Remy, a thin blonde girl who plays for the JV basketball team, and Morgan, the preppy son of a prominent politician, go to East Line High. Like the rest of the junior class, Remy and Morgan can't wait to get their driver's licenses. They are taking driver's education from Mr. Fielding, a careless teacher, who refuses to get involved in his students' lives or even to learn their names.

One day, while Mr. Fielding isn't paying attention to his driver's ed class, Remy's friend Lark suggests that all the kids should take a street sign before they go for their driving exams. Almost all the students agree that this sounds like a fun idea, and they make a pact that no one will get licensed before getting a sign.

Remy has a crush on Morgan, and he feels the same way about her. They are both new to dating, though, and don't know how to make initial contact. One time during driver's ed instruction, they briefly hold hands in the back of the student driving car, so each knows that the other one is interested. Stealing signs provides an excuse for Morgan and Remy to spend together outside of school. Remy, Morgan and Lark make a plan to go out on a sign hunt, but they need someone who already has a driver's license to drive them. They invite Nicholas Budie, a senior with a bad reputation, to be the driver.

On the night of the sign expedition, Lark cancels, because she has a bad feeling about Nicholas. First, the teens steal a "THICKLY SETTLED" sign from the woods for Lark. Then, Remy takes down a sign for "Morgan Road" to show Morgan how she feels about him. After that, Morgan and Remy share their first kiss. Finally, Nicholas chooses a stop sign at Cherry Road and Warren Street. Morgan helps Nicholas cut down the stop sign.

The next day in school, Remy and Morgan don't talk. Morgan just ignores her all day, because he feels uncomfortable. He doesn't have the nerve to call her in the evening, either. That night, both Remy and Morgan hear the news that a woman has died in a car crash at the intersection of Cherry Road and Warren Street. The woman's husband, Mr. Thompson, appears on the television news, making a plea for information about whoever killed his wife.

Remy and Morgan don't see each other again until Sunday, when they attend the same church. Remy is surprised to see Morgan's family at church, because they haven't attended services regularly since his father's last election. The Campbells are, in fact, just going to church, because it will help his gubernatorial campaign.

The rest of the novel traces Remy and Morgan, as they come to terms with their guilty consciences and take steps to help them resolve their guilt. After days of indecision, they make a plan to confess their crime to their parents, in spite of threats from Nicholas.

First, Remy confesses to Mr. Fielding, who is feeling his own guilt for having ignored the sign stealing plot. Later that evening, Morgan and Remy tell their parents. In both families, the mothers have a harder time forgiving their children than the fathers do. Mrs. Marland feels that she has failed as a mother to Remy, and she is angry that the daughter she thought was wonderful could have done something so terrible. Mrs. Campbell grows depressed, when she realizes that her family is not as perfect as she once thought.

The families contact Nicholas's parents, but the Budies do not admit that their son could have been involved in the crime. Mr. Morgan arranges a meeting between the kids and Mr. Thompson. Morgan and Remy apologize to him and try to explain why they stole the stop sign. They meet the dead woman's toddler and face the dire emptiness that now exists in the Thompson household.

Finally, Remy and Morgan visit Denise Thompson's grave with Mr. Fielding. He tells them that he also bears some responsibility for her death, and he tries to help the kids get past their guilt.

On Christmas Eve, Morgan stops by the Marland house to ask Remy's mother to let the baby, Henry, play Jesus in the Christmas pageant. She initially says "no," because it seems appropriate that the criche should be empty this year. Remy's younger brother Mac, however, urges her to continue loving Remy, and Mrs. Marland gives in to hugging both Remy and Morgan. At the end of the Christmas pageant, Mac talks to Mrs. Cambpell and convinces her to keep loving Morgan, too.

Chapter 1 Summary

Chapter One begins in a high-school driving class. The teacher, Mr. Fielding, calls off the names of the three students who will receive in-car driving instruction that day. Two girls, named Remy and Christine, sit near each other in class. Christine holds a laminated nametag on her lap. Christine is ready to give the tag to Remy, if Christine's name gets called. Ever since Christine broke down in frightened tears on the side of the road during her first day of driving with Mr. Fielding, she always gives up her lesson to Remy if Mr. Fielding calls Christine's name. Mr. Fielding does not know the difference, because he hasn't bothered to learn his students' names. He is not interested in his students. Mr. Fielding believes that his students' characters and personalities are "fluff."

Mr. Fielding calls Remy, Christine and Morgan to drive. Remy drops her books to distract the teacher, while Christine exchanges her nametag with Lark, a more adventurous girl. Remy is happy to be driving for two reasons. First, she likes to drive fast. Second, she wants to spend time in the backseat with Morgan, who is a handsome boy. Mr. Fielding leaves the rest of the class in a room off the library, under the supervision of Mrs. Bee, the librarian. Mrs. Bee resents having to monitor the driving class without extra pay. She lets the kids run free, while she stays in her office with the door closed.

Remy takes her lesson first. Meanwhile, Mr. Fielding looks out the passenger-side window. He listens to talk radio on a Walkman. As Remy drives, she and Lark discuss Remy's new car. Remy's parents have bought her a car, so that she can drive her younger brothers to their after-school activities. Remy has two younger brothers. Mac is an eighth grader, and Henry is a baby. When Remy's mother was pregnant with Henry, an ultrasound showed that the baby would be a girl, so Remy's family had not prepared a list of boys' names. When Henry was born, his family had the doctor write "Baby Boy Marland" on the birth certificate. After a few months of debate, the family has agreed to call him Henry. Remy's mother, however, calls him Jesus, a nickname that stuck after Henry played the baby Jesus in a Christmas pageant soon after he was born.

During her driving lesson, Remy makes a left turn without noticing a median on the street that she is entering. Flustered, she forces the car to drive over the median. The bottom of the car makes a loud scraping noise. Remy is embarrassed by her mistake, and she hopes that Lark and Morgan will keep the incident a secret from the rest of the class.

Then, Lark takes the wheel, and Remy joins Morgan in the back seat. Morgan comes from an attractive, ambitious family. His father is a politician, his mother a lawyer, and his younger sister, Starr, is the most popular girl in her grade. Remy expects Morgan to tease her about her pathetic driving, but he comforts her and squeezes her hand. Remy and Morgan continue to hold hands, as Lark drives.

Lark runs a red light, claiming that she did stop for the light, but "forgot to stay stopped." Morgan laughs at Lark, feeling superior, and takes over behind the wheel.

Chapter 1 Analysis

From the start of the novel, Mr. Fielding seems to be a distasteful character. He does not care about his work or the students he is supposed to teach. He wishes he had a life without kids in it, especially kids with ridiculous names like Taft and Rembrandt. The students manage to make careless driving mistakes under Mr. Fielding's watch, because he is not giving them advice on how to maneuver the car or watch the road.

Remy's minor driving mistake of going over the median foreshadows the big mistake that she will later make. The car also symbolizes what will happen to Remy and Morgan. Like the car, they will survive their terrible experience with a small amount of damage. How Mr. Fielding handles Remy's driving mistake also foreshadows his later actions in the novel. When Remy drives over the median, she keeps going forward with a bad decision, because she can't think of a better plan. Mr. Fielding gives her no assistance at the time, but afterward blames her for doing the wrong thing.

Cooney provides another bit of foreshadowing in Mr. Fielding's attempt to comfort Remy. "Calm down," he says, "It's no big deal. Nobody's dead."

Chapter 2 Summary

The students are in concert choir class. Mr. Willit, the conductor, instructs them to kiss and hug the air, while singing a love song. Lark complains that Mr. Willit is not normal, and the animated teacher retorts that no one in the room is normal. Then, he calls up Morgan, who has been studying a driver's manual tucked behind his music folder. Morgan walks to the front of the room, where Mr. Willit displays him as the closest thing to normalcy in the class. He teaches Morgan to give a royal wave, using just his wrists. He has Morgan wave to the class, while the other students applaud. Remy wishes that she could be Morgan's girlfriend to share in his applause.

Choir ends, and the students go to driver's ed, where the talk is of "mailbox baseball." Hundreds of mailboxes were trashed the previous night. Taft and Cristin explain to the other students that mailbox baseball involves driving around in a pickup truck, with one or two people swinging a bat from the truck bed.

Inspired by the mailbox vandals, Lark suggests that each student in the class steal a sign. A boy tat she dated a long time ago used to steal street signs and traffic signs. A beautiful blonde girl named Alexandra Weymouth invites Morgan to help her take the "Weymouth Road" street sign that weekend. Then, she sits on Morgan's lap, and he puts his arm around her. He thinks, however, that Remy is a more attractive girl. Lark establishes a class rule that nobody can get a driver's license without taking a sign first. Christine is the only student who says that the rule is a bad idea.

Mr. Fielding enters the room and calls Joanne, Carson and Chrystal to drive. Nobody in the class has any of those names. Lark, Remy and Morgan step forward, and Morgan says he will take Joanne's lesson. The kids start calling him "Queen Joanne," on account of his taking Joanne's turn and waving like royalty in choir class.

Mr. Fielding instructs Lark, whom he thinks is Chrystal, to take River Road beyond the city and into the woods. Lark notes that a sign in the woods - THICKLY SETTLED - would look perfect in her bedroom. Then Lark drives. Meanwhile, Morgan thinks about his lack of wheels. He had expected a convertible for his sixteenth birthday, but his parents gave him a VCR instead. Morgan feels distant from his parents. Recently, for the first time in years, he can tolerate being in the same room with them. Still, Morgan avoids talking with his parents. Now, he hopes that they will give him a car on the day he receives his license.

Lark says that she will need help getting one of the THICKLY SETTLED signs off its post, and she asks Morgan whether he is still good friends with Nicholas Budie, a senior who has his own car. Morgan and Nickie had been friends, back when Morgan was in the fifth and sixth grades. Nickie, who was a year older than Morgan, "dropped" him in junior high. Morgan and Nickie used to sneak out at night and wrestle on the white line in the middle of the road. If a car came, they would have to drive into a ditch. Now, Nickie treats Morgan like a friend again, but Morgan avoids getting close to Nickie. Nicholas drives an old Buick with a fast engine.

In the driver's ed car, Remy is also thinking about stealing signs. She knows that the one she wants is for Morgan Road. She could never get her parents' permission to go riding with Nicholas, though. Nobody's parents approve of that kid.

Chapter 2 Analysis

Mr. Willit, a teacher that Morgan truly cares about and respects, calls Morgan to the front of the class to demonstrate what it means to be normal. Morgan realizes that his "normalcy" has more to do with his family than himself. To outsiders, the Campbells seem like a perfect family. They can boast two successful lawyers, including one politician, plus two attractive and popular children. Morgan, however, realizes that he has no special qualities, and that his sister Starr owes her "popularity" to being very mean to other girls. Morgan's perfect parents don't seem concerned that their son doesn't really talk to them.

Morgan's elementary-school activities with Nickie prove that he is not altogether "normal." Morgan knows that the games the two boys played were reckless, but he would have continued playing them if Nickie hadn't ended their friendship. The dangerous road game played by Morgan and Nickie foreshadows another dangerous situation that they will create together soon in the spirit of "fun."

Chapter 3 Summary

Last period is current events class. Morgan is bored, because the country whose war he has been assigned to monitor, Guatemala, has been relatively peaceful. Morgan yearns for danger and wishes he could use a machine gun, like a Bosnian teenager.

On the way to the bus after school, Lark, Remy and Morgan make a date to steal signs together. Lark instructs the others to tell their parents that they will all be going to Lark's house to watch movies. Mr. Willit, who has school-bus supervision duty, sees Remy and Morgan together and decides to set them up romantically by making Remy "normal" next week and giving them a duet to sing. When Nicholas Budie slouches by, Mr. Willit averts his eyes. Nicholas is the only kid Mr. Willit can't bring himself to like, because he knows that Nick uses his Buick to run over stray pets. The teacher is saddened to see Morgan hop into Nickie's car.

Morgan returns home to his family's impressive house. His father plans to run for governor, so the kitchen has three TVs set up for news watching. Over dinner, Starr, Morgan's thirteen-year-old sister, spews junior-high gossip. Later, she tells Morgan that their father's political campaign will mean a return to church for the family. Mrs. Willit, the wife of the choir teacher, is the minister at church. Morgan dreads having to spend another year attending church, but he thinks that it will be fun if he gets to run the Christmas pageant. He promises to make Starr one of the wise men.

Later that night, Nicholas and Morgan pick up Remy, who sits in the car's back seat. Remy has bought a great deal of new makeup for the occasion. The three kids go to Lark's apartment complex to pick her up. Lark is not waiting outside. Remy runs in to get her and returns with a report that Lark has to stay home with her mother, who has the flu. When Remy returns, Morgan moves left, to the middle of the first seat, so that he and Remy can sit next to each other. Soon, they start to hold hands.

The car stops in the woods near Lark's THICKLY SETTLED sign. The boys have brought several tools, a ratchet, a hack saw and bolt cutter. Remy wonders why Lark decided not to come. The story about a sick mother was a lie made up by Remy. Lark had simply told her that she had changed her mind. The boys remove the sign for Lark with ease.

Remy announces that she wants to take MORGAN ROAD, and Morgan's heart leaps. Suddenly, he can no longer hide how he feels about her. Remy sees his facial expression and knows that Morgan is as "gone" on her, as she is on him. After Remy and Morgan unscrew the sign, while standing on top of Nickie's Buick, they kiss. Then, Nickie drives to Cherry Road and Warren Street to steal a stop sign. Morgan cuts the sign off its post for him.

Chapter 3 Analysis

Morgan's thoughts about his current events assignment prove that he is not emotionally mature. He wishes that he were a Bosnian teenager, fighting for his life in a civil war, showing no understanding of what it really means to live a life of danger and crisis.

Morgan's family seems to use religion to suit their purposes. For the Campbells, attending church is a public relations stunt. Morgan's parents, Rafe and Nance, know that voters will be more likely to choose a gubernatorial candidate, who goes to church regularly. Similarly, Morgan decides that he will direct the Christmas pageant because that will be less boring than sitting in church, not because he has strong religious feelings.

Chapter 4 Summary

Remy has hidden MORGAN ROAD behind the bushes by the front door, and Mac is grilling her about her evening. He knows that she was out with Morgan and Nickie, and he tells their parents that Remy is interested in one of the two boys. Since Remy cannot hide her disgust toward Nickie, her family realizes that she likes Morgan. Remy's mother approves. She says that she would not mind having Morgan for a son-in-law. In fact, says Remy's mother, she was planning to volunteer to work on Mr. Campbell's campaign.

In school the next day, Morgan ignores Remy, even though she is the only thing he is actually aware of in school. By the end of the day, when Remy reports to her JV basketball game, she feels miserable, because Morgan no longer seems interested in her. Suddenly, she sees Morgan and Lark sit down in the bleachers, and Remy is overjoyed. No boy has ever previously attended a girls' JV basketball game. Remy's father starts harassing a referee, and she fears being embarrassed by her father in front of Morgan.

Lark is happy to escort Morgan to the game, so that he can see Remy. Lark thinks about how she backed out of the sign hunt, because when Nickie called her earlier that evening. She had sensed something truly criminal in his voice.

While watching the game, Morgan thinks that he should call Remy that night. He should tell her that he was stupid for not talking to her in class. He knows, however, that he probably won't do either. Later that evening, when Morgan has failed to call her, Remy wonders what the point of having a God is if He can't make the phone ring. She dreads going to church on Sunday (dreads it even more than usual, that is,) while she is feeling annoyed by God.

The Campbells gather around the T.V. to watch the evening news. They always watch for news about state politics. A top story tonight is the vandalism of mailboxes. The newscast transitions into a related act of vandalism. It says that it's a theft of a street sign that has had "terrible results." The newscaster reports that the previous night, there was a fatal car accident at the corner of Warren Street and Cherry Road. A truck hit a car driven by a 26-year-old woman, named Denise Thompson. Mrs. Thompson did not know to stop at that dangerous intersection, because there was no stop sign. The woman was killed after dropping off her two-year old child's babysitter. Morgan's father announces that, whoever took that sign, should be shot.

Chapter 4 Analysis

Chapter Four begins with an account of awkward teen romance that is lighthearted and almost comical. The novel has an omniscient narrator, who writes from the third person but enters the minds of various characters, including Remy and Morgan. In this way, the reader knows that both teens are feeling equally infatuated. Therefore, there is little real tension on the reader's part about whether Morgan will eventually convey his interest to Remy. The nervousness the teens feel toward each other throughout the school day acts as a calm before the storm. It heightens the shocking effect of the newscast on the reader, as well as on Remy and Morgan.

Chapter 5 Summary

At home with his family, Morgan tries not to think about the sign that is in the garage and the fact that he is the person who removed it from its post. He is afraid that Starr will recognize guilt in his eyes, so he tries not to think about what he has done. Morgan worries that one of his fellow driver's ed students will guess that he was the one who took the sign and call the information hotline for the police that was included in the news report.

After the eleven o'clock news ends, Remy gets a call from Lark. For the first time in her life, Remy doesn't sleep all night.

Now, it is Saturday. While crawling on the stairs with Baby Henry, Remy realizes that Denise Thompson's boy is close to Henry's age. While Remy babysits her baby brother Henry, he says his first word, "Me," and pats her. She realizes that he has spoken her name. The moment is both happy and tragic for Remy. Ironically, the girl who is a like a loving magnet for young children, has been responsible for leaving a toddler motherless. She even thinks that maybe she can pay for her crime by babysitting the Thompsons' toddler. The obscenity of that thought shocks Remy, and then she says a prayer to God, rather than to one of her minor deities. Morgan moves the signs from the Campbells' garage to the cellar, where he thinks they will be better hidden.

On Sunday, Morgan listens to the sermon at church, hoping for guidance. The topic of the sermon is the unconditional love that God had for Jesus and that parents have for their children. Morgan remembers that his father said, that whoever took the stop sign should be shot. He doubles over in pain at the thought that his father would not love him anymore if he knew what Morgan has done.

When Remy sees Morgan's family at church, she is surprised. The Campbells usually just attend church on holidays. Remy thinks that they are in church, because Morgan has confessed his crime. Perhaps, the Campbells are there to seek advice from Mrs. Willit and the help of God. Remy dreads how Mr. Willit, who is the minister's husband, will treat Morgan and Remy in concert choir, once he finds out what they did. Then, Remy's parents joke that Rafe must be running for office again. Remy feels relieved that that is the reason the Campbells have appeared in church.

At Coffee Hour after the church service, Morgan chokes guiltily on cake, as Mac comes over and gives him a knowing smirk. Morgan fears that Remy has told Mac their crime. Morgan and Remy share a quick joke about how horrible her brother is, and then Morgan finds Mrs. Willit. He offers to run the Christmas pageant. The minister praises him as a "splendid dear, dear boy," and he feels reassured about his character.

Chapter 5 Analysis

Cooney uses irony to convey Remy's changing sense of herself. She thinks that maybe she can make up for her crime by babysitting the child of Mrs. Thompson, although of course, Mr. Thompson would think her a monster for getting his wife killed. Remy realizes that the notion that a killer would be trusted to keep another person safe is obscene.

Chapter 6 Summary

On Monday, Remy reads Denise Thompson's obituary and learns that the woman's funeral was held on Sunday. On the way to school, Remy's mother and Mac notice that 43 mailboxes have recently been smashed. Mac is angry at the vandals, because he is the family member who always has to put up a replacement mailbox. Imogene, Remy's mother, says she would like to catch the delinquents who smashed the mailboxes with a shotgun. Remy wonders what her mother would do to her if she knew about the stolen stop sign.

In driver's ed class, Morgan again ignores Remy. This time, he does it because he wants to keep her safe from any known association with him, in case he should get caught for stealing the sign. Mr. Fielding announces that instead of driving instruction today, the class will have a talk with a police officer on the school lawn. Outside, the class sees Denise Thompson's crumpled car, which has been pulled up by a tow truck. Morgan suspects that another student, Taft, has guessed his guilt from the look in Morgan's eyes. Several girls, including Remy, start to cry. The officer gives the kids a lecture, saying that teenagers do not always think before they act. He says that the car will be left on the lawn to remind them to think.

Morgan considers confessing to the police officer immediately, but he decides that would be the wrong action. His confession could implicate Remy, and Morgan's life would be ruined. No college would accept the application of a known killer.

Later that day, Nickie finds Morgan in the hallway. He says, "Weird, isn't it?... A person's alive and now she's not. We managed that." Morgan is distressed that Nickie seems to think killing someone is cool. He is relived, however, when Nickie says they should never tell anyone. Nickie knows his parents won't see the car crash as a positive thing. Morgan feels sick and sits out in gym class. He starts thinking that he isn't to blame for Denise Thompson's death. Nickie is responsible. Suddenly, Morgan starts to feel better.

Lark fears getting caught with a stop sign, given to her from a long-ago boyfriend, in her bedroom. She notices that Remy looks visibly upset and decides to cool their friendship for a while. She decides to focus instead on maintaining her grades and extracurricular activities, so that she can get into a good college.

Remy and Morgan have a date at the mall on Monday night. They discuss whether to tell the authorities about their part in Denise Thompson's death. Both Morgan and Remy think that maybe they should get married to keep their secret safe.

Wednesday's newspaper runs a full-page ad from Denise Thompson's husband. He offers a reward for information on his wife's "murder." Morgan's father tears out the ad and leaves it on the coffee table. Guilt continues to haunt Remy and Morgan over Thanksgiving break. Remy and her family stay at her Aunt Marian's, along with Remy's large, extended family. Late at night, while her teenage cousins stay up talking about cars and driver's licenses, Remy crawls down into her sleeping bag and cries. The Campbells spend Thanksgiving vacationing in Bermuda. Morgan enjoys riding bikes with his sister, until he notices an absence of stop signs.

The principal of East Line High has hung Mr. Thompson's newspaper ad on the school bulletin board. In driver's ed., Mr. Fielding calls Taft, Chase and Remy to drive. As Taft leads the student car past the demolished Thompson vehicle on the school lawn, Remy cries again. Meanwhile, in the library, Alexandra flirts with Morgan, asking what she plans to buy him for Christmas. He informs Alexandra that he is going out with Remy. The class reacts with interest.

In the car, Mr. Fielding thinks about the fact that he had heard his students talk about stealing signs but had done nothing to thwart them. He feels remorse for having lost his passion for kids and for teaching. He tells Taft to pull over on Cherry Road, and then asks the kids in the car who took the sign. "How would we know who took it?" Taft asks, guiltily eyeing his feet, as he speaks. Chase and Remy stay silent.

That night, after decorating the house for Christmas with his family, Morgan asks his father whether he believes in church or just goes for political reasons. Rafe answers that he is not sure of his beliefs, but he knows that the words of wisdom he hears at church are helpful to him. Rafe then recites a quote from the Bible about justice and mercy. Morgan wonders which one he would get from his father, if his crime were known.

As the Campbells watch the evening news, a television ad from Mr. Thompson appears. It features a home video of Denise playing with her son, Bobby. Morgan can't believe that Mr. Thompson would spend that kind of money to broadcast his message. Nance says that she agrees with her husband: Whoever took the sign should be shot.

Chapter 7 Analysis

For Nance Campbell, Christmas is a very big deal. On the family tree, she proudly displays a collection of glass ornaments from around the world, and she fills the entire house with holly, wreaths and other decorations. The family goes to see a production of the Nutcracker ballet, throws parties, and sings carols. Their picture-perfect holiday is a symbol for their "perfect" life. Nance even says so to Morgan, as she uncharacteristically gives him a hug, while filled with Christmas spirit. She says, "I'm so happy...You know how sometimes your family seems perfect and the day was just right and Christmas is coming?" In spite of his hidden emotional crisis, Morgan takes part in all the holiday festivities, because he doesn't want to ruin Christmas or his mother's image of their perfect family.

Chapter 8 Summary

Mr. Baily, Rafe's campaign manager, meets with Morgan alone in the Campbells' living room to make sure that Morgan has no skeletons hiding in the closet. He asks Morgan about drugs and alcohol. Morgan assures Mr. Baily that there is no potential scandal in his life.

It is Thursday afternoon, and Remy is in the car with her mother and brothers. They are on their way to church, where Remy will polish the church's Christmas silver, while Morgan directs Henry, as the baby Jesus, in the pageant rehearsal. Mac asks why Remy is free on a Thursday afternoon, and she says that she quit the basketball team. She claims that she quit, because she isn't a good enough player, but Mac can see through her lie. He thinks she quit the team to spend more time with Morgan.

After rehearsal, Morgan finds himself stranded at the church. He calls Nicholas and says, "I have to tell." Nicholas says that they need to talk it over first. He thinks that he may have to kill Morgan to keep him quiet.

When Remy gets home from the church, Mac tells her that Nicholas called and that "Morgan is going to tell." Remy refuses to tell Mac what that statement means. She immediately calls Morgan and asks him to keep the secret, because her mother would be sad if she knew that Remy had killed someone. Suddenly, Remy hears Mac gasp behind her. He has been in the room, listening to her conversation. "You took the sign?" he asks.

Chapter 8 Analysis

Morgan and Remy have grown disconnected from other people. Remy has dropped out of her JV basketball team, because she wants to become invisible to the world. She is even trying to talk her mother into taking Henry out of the Christmas pageant to keep the family out of the spotlight. Somehow, at the end of his pageant rehearsal, Morgan finds himself alone in the church. Even his sister has gotten a ride home and left him there by himself. It is at that moment of complete solitude in a house of worship that Morgan decides to clear his conscience. He no longer wants to feel alone. He needs to know whether his parents will kick him out of their hearts.

Chapter 9 Summary

Remy convinces Morgan to put off confessing to his parents until the next day, so that she and he can first talk in person. They devise a plan that Morgan will ask his father to drive them to the movie theater at the mall the next evening. They can talk in the food court. Mac promises Remy that he will keep her secret. He even pats her on the back and tries to comfort her with a hug.

In the Campbells' driveway, Nicholas is smoking a cigarette and threatening Morgan. He says that he will tell the police and Morgan's and Remy's parents that Morgan wanted the accident to happen, that he waited at the intersection to see the crash. Morgan worries that people will believe Nickie's story.

Inside the house, while Morgan's parents throw a Christmas party for their lawyer friends, Mr. Thompson's ad runs on T.V. again. Morgan asks one of the lawyers what is the penalty for that crime. He learns that stealing a sign is a misdemeanor that would just carry about a $50 fine. However, if the thieves were also found guilty of reckless endangerment, they could serve one to five years in prison. Assuming that the criminals were kids, however, they probably would get a penalty of probation and community service, instead. Another lawyer tells Morgan that it would be illegal for papers to publish the name of a teen criminal. Rafe, however, wants to change the law so that the kids' parents' names could be released to the public.

The next night, Morgan and Remy talk at the food court at the mall. They decide that, although the legal consequences aren't harsh, telling their secret would still ruin both families emotionally. Later, Morgan gets a call from Remy's mother at home. He panics that Remy has already told their secret. Mrs. Marland is just calling to say that the family has decided Henry is not manger-scene material this year, because he is too big and wild.

In choir class, Mr. Willit calls the "Normalcy Representative" to the front of the class. Morgan feels close to tears. Mr. Willit notices that something is wrong with Morgan and cuts his royal wave short.

Chapter 9 Analysis

At this point in the novel, Morgan and Remy's predicament becomes a moral problem, rather than a legal one. They start to realize that, legally, there will be a negligible price to pay for their crime. Instead of thinking how their secret will damage their futures, they focus on how it will affect their families. For the teens, thinking about family responsibility seems to increase their maturity level. The real pain, they understand, will not come from a punishment that they will receive. Their pain will take the form of hurt inflicted on their parents.

Chapter 10 Summary

Mr. Fielding goes with Remy to the Department of Motor Vehicles office for her driving exam. He tells her that he thinks Kiersten stole the sign. Mr. Fielding quotes the conversation that he overheard when the students first made their pact to steal signs, except that he has matched the quotes with the wrong students' names. Remy wonders whether he will go to the police with his theory, or perhaps contact Mr. Thompson for the reward. Remy realizes that even though Kiersten will not be found guilty for lack of proof, the accusation could damage her reputation permanently.

Remy passes her driver's test and poses for her license photo. As she and Mr. Fielding leave the DMV, she confesses to him in the parking lot. Remy says, "Just give me tonight to tell my parents."

Mac sits in his room trying to think of a way to help Remy. She walks in and tells him of her confession to the driver's ed instructor. She tells Mac that she will tell the police that she and Mac acted alone, without Nickie. Mac, who realizes that Remy doesn't have the strength to cut down a sign, says that is crazy, because she was only an accessory to the theft.

Morgan waits to be Remy's first passenger outside his house, with his thumb up in a hitchhiker's pose. He is surprised to see that Mac is in the car with her, but gives Remy a congratulatory kiss through the window, anyway. Remy says that she is about to tell her parents what kind of a daughter they really have.

Chapter 10 Analysis

Caroline B. Cooney uses the characters of the two oldest Marland children to demonstrate that perception does not always equal reality. Mac is known as the bad kid in the family. His parents have tried taking away his radio, his telephone, and even his bed to discipline Mac. However, the child who has made a terrible judgment call is "good girl" Remy. The siblings' roles have completely switched by Chapter Nine, when Mac proves to be a thoughtful and sensitive brother to Remy, devoting his sly mind to figuring out a way to help her.

Chapter 11 Summary

Morgan enters his father's study and breaks down. At first, his father is distracted by his work, and Morgan can't seem to get his attention. Rafe looks up from his writing tablet when he realizes something is terribly wrong, and then he hugs his son firmly. Morgan says that he took the stop sign. Morgan's father holds him in his lap and tells him that he is still loved.

At the Marlands' house, Remy has told her parents. Imogene screams at her furiously, wondering how she raised a child who would do such a terrible thing. Remy's father weeps. In the midst of the Campbells' shouting and crying, Morgan, Rafe and Nance pull up in front of the house in their BMW.

Chapter 11 Analysis

The confession scenes contain strong irony. It has taken a great deal of maturity for Remy and Morgan to own up to their role in Denise Thompson's death. Still, they both regress to young childhood, when they tell their parents of their guilt. Remy calls her mother "Mommy," and Morgan sits in his father's lap, while his father strokes his hair as if her were a baby.

Baby Henry serves as a symbol of his family's strife. The Marland household is flooded with drama after Remy tells her secret. Remy's mother screams insults at her, Remy's father sobs and argues with his wife to stop yelling at Remy, and Remy begs for understanding. Henry refuses to go to bed or to eat and acts more "cranky and obnoxious" than usual. All the other family members force themselves to hold back their desire to smack him. For the first time, Henry affects others negatively. This is far different from the way he is presented in earlier chapters. Earlier, Henry was such a calm and loving baby that the nickname "Jesus" seemed to fit.

Chapter 12 Summary

Both families have gathered in the Marlands' kitchen. Rafe calls the parents of Nicholas Budie to get them involved. They explain that their son would "never participate in any sort of crime," Rafe says. The Budies also claim that Nickie was home on the night the stop sign was stolen.

Mr. Marland suggests calling the police, but Mr. Campbell says he would prefer to handle the matter privately. Then, Mr. Fielding arrives to say that the kids need to pay for their crime.

Rafe explains that, according to law, Morgan and Remy will face a fine of up to two hundred fifty dollars. Mr. Campbell puts one hand on Remy and one on Morgan and declares that tomorrow he will see Mr. Thompson, and let Mr. Thompson decide what should happen to the culprits.

On the way home, Morgan's mother instructs Rafe to drive to a car dealership on Warren Street. There, Nance shows Morgan the convertible that she has already bought for him. She says that she wishes that she could destroy the car with a tire iron.

In school the next day, Mr. Fielding cancels driver's tests, in order to lecture the class on the importance of learning to be careful in cars. Both he and the students acknowledge that he has finally become a teacher to them.

It is not yet Christmas, but Morgan's mother has already taken down the Christmas tree that was filled with lovely ornaments the family had collected on vacations. She avoids being in the same room with Morgan, and she no longer comes home to eat dinners with the family.

Chapter 12 Analysis

In Chapter 12, two characters go though large changes. Mr. Fielding, who previously was so ineffective as a teacher that his teaching methods bordered on comedy, suddenly admits that he has to take an interest in his students, in order to prevent future deaths. He changes, from someone who paid no attention to his job, to someone who is giving his work all his energy. Nance, likewise, has become a totally different sort of person. When her life stops being perfect, she transforms from the life of the party into someone who avoids other people, including her husband and children.

Chapter 13 Summary

Rafe, Remy and Morgan arrive at the Thompson residence. It is a small, humble home with mismatched furniture. Two-year-old Bobby is excited about Christmas. Only two stockings hang from the chimney. Mr. Thompson says that he has thought about punishments for Remy and Morgan, such as forcing them to get Denise's name tattooed on their arms to serve as a reminder of their crime. He says he thought of bringing a civil suit against the kids to smear their names, even though he knows he could not win the court case.

Remy and Morgan explain how and why they stole the sign, and they apologize sincerely to Mr. Thompson. He does not accept their apologies. "The only reason you kids are here is to put it behind you," he says bitterly.

Bobby crawls into Remy's lap and plays with her charm necklace. She says that he can keep the necklace, but Mr. Thompson refuses the gift. He says that his family already has enough souvenirs of what Remy did to them. He admits that Morgan and Remy will probably have to forget about his wife in order to live with themselves, but he tells them to remember Denise on every Thanksgiving and every Christmas.

In the car on the way home, Morgan asks Rafe whether he can still run for governor, and his father says he can. He doesn't say it with enthusiasm, though. Morgan wonders whether the Campbells have paid Mr. Thompson to keep him from taking the case against Morgan and Remy to the authorities.

Chapter 13 Analysis

Meeting Mr. Thompson together has not removed the gulf that separates Morgan from his father. Rafe has brought Morgan and Remy to meet Mr. Thompson, because he knows it will be an important part of their emotional recovery process, and because it was the right thing to do. However, because Rafe has strong political savvy, Morgan is left doubting whether his father bribed Mr. Thompson into dropping the case. Morgan cannot bring himself to ask his father about that, though. Even after going through this ordeal together, Rafe and Morgan remain distant from each other.

Chapter 14 Summary

In driver's ed, Mr. Fielding calls Remy and Morgan to practice driving. Instead, he drives them in his car to visit Denise Thompson's grave. He tells them that he is the one at fault, because he was the grownup in charge. The teens realize that Mr. Fielding just wants to make the emotional healing easier for them, and Morgan thanks him for that.

On December 24, Morgan shows up at the Marlands' house and asks Imogene to let Henry be the baby Jesus, because Henry's substitute has an earache. She responds, with hard sadness, that an empty manger seems fitting this year. Remy tells her mother that she needs her love. Mac tells her that he also needs reassurance that his mother can love him through anything. Finally, Mrs. Marland breaks down and hugs all the kids, including Morgan.

As Morgan's family heads to the Christmas Eve service, Starr asks Nance whether she still loves Morgan. Nance answers, "I'm working on it."

After the pageant, Nance congratulates Morgan on the production and then leaves quickly. Mac follows her outside the church and reminds her that Morgan needs his mother. Inside, Morgan tells his father that he doesn't deserve love, and his father agrees. Rafe points out that love exists, regardless. Then, Nance walks back into the church, heading toward Morgan.

Chapter 14 Analysis

Cooney takes a close look at parent-child relationships in Chapter 14. In both families, it is the mother, who has a harder time forgiving the child. The narrator speculates that the fathers might have been able to forgive Remy and Morgan, because they had taken part in similar pranks when they were younger. Perhaps, they feel more betrayed than the fathers, because Nance and Imogene know they have spent more time with their children over the years. Therefore, any character flaws must point more directly to the mothers.