I Can Make This Promise

The party continues with cake and presents. Edie gives Phil a painting of his pet duck, William, which he immediately hangs over his fireplace. Phil is enthusiastic about Edie’s idea for her film and especially loves the dog, Bruno.

Later that night, Edie reads more of Edith’s letters. She learns that Edith took a lot of acting classes and ended up getting a role in a Western film. Excited about the discovery, she plans to meet up with Amelia the next day. Serenity is on a camping trip, so she is unavailable and has no cell phone service.

On July 10, Edie and Amelia discuss Edith’s film career, and they find a movie trailer that features a shot of her. Amelia tells Edie that another girl will be joining the two of them and Amelia’s family on a trip downtown. The other girl turns out to be Libby, a girl in Edie’s grade who often bullies her. Edie feels betrayed when she learns that Amelia and Libby are friends. Libby asks Edie about her braces and says Edie “needed them” to fix her smile.

Edie, Amelia, Libby, and Amelia’s mother and brother visit Pike Place Market in Seattle. Libby is consistently passive-aggressive toward Edie, who becomes quiet and unhappy in response. She recalls that Libby has disliked her since Edie caught her copying her schoolwork and told the teacher. Upon arrival at the market, Amelia’s mother gives everyone chewing gum to stick on a famous chewing gum wall. Edie cannot participate, since her braces make it impossible to chew gum. She can feel Amelia pulling away from her.

At lunch, Edie struggles to eat macaroni and cheese, even though the food is soft. Amelia berates her for taking too long and apologizes reluctantly only after her mother scolds her.

The entire visit to Pike Place is miserable, and Edie is in a bad mood when she returns home. Lisa tries to talk to her, but she is unwilling to engage. Amelia texts Edie to tell her that Libby is actually “really nice” and “wants to help [them] with the film” (142). Edie reads another of Edith’s letters in which she laments that she is now only getting background parts in films.