A List of Cages

This chapter is narrated by Adam. The first part of the narrative takes place in Jesse's living room as Charlie, Jesse, Emerald, Camila, and Adam play a game of dare. Charlie begins by calling on Jesse, saying, "'I want you to lick Camila's…'” and he pauses and grins, but finally finishes by saying Camila's “purse” (128). Camila then tells everyone that the next turn should be hers because she had to watch Jesse rub his disgusting mouth all over her purse.

Camilla’s dare is for Adam. She demands that he tell the group about the first time he got naked with a girl, and to tell it with detail. Adam responds by telling a story about when he was in kindergarten, but Camila immediately protests that he can’t tell some innocent story about being naked with a girl when he was a baby. Adam argues that the story should count because it has true sexual content, so Camila allows him to continue. Adam relates how he and Charlotte King took a van from school to a day care when they were in kindergarten. He tells how in the back seat of the van he and Charlotte made a trade that if Charlotte could see Adam's feet, Adam would get to see her vagina. According to Adam, it was a tiring ordeal because he had coordination problems at that age, and it was difficult taking off his shoes. Camila still complains that the story doesn't count. Adam tells the group that the only other true story he has with a girl is when he got a massage. This embarrasses Adam because he realizes he has just confessed to everyone that he is still a virgin. Emerald, however, reminds Adam that she heard that a girl named Kelley had taken off her purity ring because of Adam. Adam explains that was really nothing but that Kelley still felt terribly guilty. 

The scene shifts; it’s now 2 a.m., and Adam is walking out to his van outside his house. Camila is standing nearby and asks him for a ride. Adam agrees. As Adam gets in the car, he realizes his car is blocked, so he is getting ready to tell the owner to move it when Camila suddenly grabs and kisses him, forcefully tugging on his hair. Although Adam says “‘ow,’” she continues kissing him, and soon they are “both panting" (131). Camila lowers her fingers to his zipper and says, "'I don't want to look at your feet'" (131).

Adam narrates this chapter. He senses tension among Allison, Camila, and Emerald, and tries to get them to talk about the problem out in the open. Camila hisses, “‘I've apologized like a thousand times. I was drunk! And besides, he's not [Emerald’s] property’” (132). Adam assumes that Camila hit on Brett, Emerald's boyfriend, and suggests that Camila and Emerald forgive and forget for the sake of friendship and girl power. Emerald says, "'That's not…'" and never finishes her sentence (133). She leaves the table in "perfect poise" (133).

After Adam’s conversation with the girls, he tells Julian that girls are crazy as he escorts Julian to Dr. Whitlock's. Adam tells Julian that none of the girls are speaking to him, they aren't speaking to each other, and Emerald is not speaking to anyone. Julian is surprised that the girls in Adam's grade don't like Adam enough to talk to him because Julian knows all the freshman girls adore him. Julian tells Adam that the girls in Julian’s grade especially like his lips. Adam continues talking, perplexed about the girls’ tension because everybody got their college acceptance letters today, and he doesn’t understand why they’re not happy.

This chapter is narrated by Julian, as he and Adam drive to Julian’s old house, where he lived with his parents. It's now occupied by one of Adam's friends, Brittany. Adam knocks on Brittany’s door and explains to her that Julian once lived in the house, and he just wants to come in and look around. Brittany cheerfully lets Julian explore the house.

Julian compares the house now to his memories of it, saying, "[r]ight here in the entryway there should be flowers," and that next to it should be his mother’s piano, and that the carpet should be green (138). The bamboo forest that Julian remembers to be so large and vast he sees now as not really a forest at all, but "just two dozen waxy green stalks" (138). Julian becomes so absorbed in trying to recapture the memories of his life with his parents in the house, he doesn't want Adam to talk. Some memories come, others don't. He thanks Adam for taking him there.