Lily and Dunkin

Dunkin notices that, during a difficult game, Vasquez’s dad yells angrily at him from the stands. By halftime, Vasquez is silent and seems about to explode. During the fourth quarter, Dunkin gets in the game. On his first play, he causes a turnover and then he misses two layups. Coach pulls him, and people in the crowd boo Dunkin. Dunkin is disappointed in his performance but is sure that if he stops taking his meds, he’ll be better and not let his team down. As the team leaves the court, the coach tries to get Vasquez to come in the locker room, but Vasquez’s dad continues to berate him. Dunkin worries about how angry Vasquez’s dad seems and wishes someone would intervene. 

Dunkin wakes feeling bad about his game performance, puts the day’s dose of medication in his pocket, and throws the pills away at school. Vasquez is unusually quiet at lunch, but when he throws a tangerine at Tim’s head, he seems to brighten up. Dunkin wonders if “Tim’s head was a substitute for someone else’s” (228). Dunkin leaves lunch early and sits in the bathroom. He’s upset that Vasquez threw the tangerine at Tim. Dunkin is still mediocre at practice, but he reminds himself that he should be patient. The meds need a little time to get out of his system. He’s sure that once they are, he’ll be unstoppable. 

At Thanksgiving dinner, everyone says why they’re thankful. Lily is sure to give her dad a special look, so he knows she appreciates the hormone blockers. When Lily’s mom says she’s thankful for her two daughters, Lily’s grandmother gasps and drops Lily’s hand. 

At dinner, Dunkin startles his mother and Bubbie by asking to go visit his father. When Dunkin leaps up to talk excitedly about the visit, his mother asks whether he’s taking his medicine. Dunkin hears her ask Phineas if he’s taking his meds at first, and when she asks again, Dunkin is confused. His mother sounds far away when she says she needs to get Dunkin to a psychiatrist. Dunkin’s heart races, unsure of what is happening. 

At an emergency appointment, the psychiatrist expresses concern about Dunkin’s behavior. Dunkin stays quiet, even though his mind is racing, and he wants to talk nonstop. The psychiatrist tries to explain to Dunkin that his dad is gone and won’t be coming back. Dunkin nods, knowing that his dad is getting better somewhere, dismissing the doctor and everyone else who thinks he isn’t. The doctor orders another blood test to check his med levels, so Dunkin decides to take his mood stabilizer, which the blood test can detect, and not take his anti-psychotic, which slows him down the most anyway. 

Dunkin fills his mom in on his day at record pace. His mom is concerned that he seems “amped up” (234), but Dunkin assures her he’s great. He feels awesome, full of ideas, and he hasn’t had to sleep so he can get a lot done, including practicing basketball. When his mom reminds him of the importance of taking both his meds, Dunkin knows that what’s most important is helping his team. His heart beats fast, and his mind races as he assures his mom that she doesn’t have to worry.

Outside, Dunkin throws the ball against the wall countless times, his mind racing about his incredible future. When Bubbie comes out to tell him enough, he can’t stop, as he loves the rhythm of the ball and the repetitive movement. Bubbie has to grab the ball and yell at him to get him to stop. After a shower that doesn’t relax him, Dunkin lays in bed, mind racing about all the things he could be doing. Suddenly, that energy leaves him, but his mind continues to race. When he rolls over, he realizes that his muscles are on fire and finally acknowledges that he might have overdone it. 

At lunch, Dare points out that Dunkin is talking to someone who isn’t there. When one of the guys bumps him, he stops. Both Dare and Lily find his behavior strange. 

Lily attends that evening’s basketball game, in part to check to see if Dunkin is okay. After halftime, Dunkin scores on the other team’s basket. His teammates and the crowd scream at him, and he gets reamed out on the sidelines after being pulled from the game. Lily feels bad for Dunkin, seeing that everyone is ganging up on him. Lily knows what it’s like to feel like everyone is against you, so she yells out that people should leave him alone. When Dunkin looks at her, she gives him a thumbs up, which elicits a tiny smile. As Lily goes to leave, she notices Dunkin on the sidelines talking to himself again. Lily wonders what is going on with him. 

At the end of the school day, Vasquez is excited about their away game. When Dunkin agrees while “hopping from foot to foot” (240), Vasquez asks what is wrong with Dunkin and warns him that he better not mess up the game. Dunkin is bursting with energy and sure that he’s going to be amazing in tonight’s game. He feels like a superhero. When Dunkin yells too loudly during a group cheer, his teammates look at him like he’s crazy, but Dunkin knows he’s not; he’s doing great. 

Bob’s removal date is today, so Lily gathers supplies, skips school, and heads up into the tree. She knows that what she’s doing “is hard, but important” (242). Lily sits up there for hours, watching people walk by, worrying that if Dunkin keeps talking to himself, people will make fun of him. The tree removal guys arrive and tell Lily to get out of the tree. Lily doesn’t budge. 

A female police officer speaks to Lily as though she’s a small child and tells her that if the fire department has to come get her down, her parents will have to pay for it. Lily knows that’s not the case, but it does make her think about how much money her parents are spending on hormone blockers. When one of the workers asks her again to come down, Lily refuses, but suddenly, her noble deed feels more like a nuisance. She wonders whether she should come down, but her resolve strengthens when she thinks of all the time she’s spent with Bob and its connection with her Grandpop. Someone needs to be strong for the trees, and she’ll take on that role. 

Dunkin is super alert on the sidelines and ready to be amazing. He has a hard time staying in his seat, and his knees bounce constantly. Dunkin doesn’t play at all. On the bus, Dunkin can’t sit still. He paces the aisle repeating that he’s okay to himself. He’s desperate to get off the bus and move. Everyone tells him to stop, and they laugh at him. Dunkin sits and tries “desperately to keep [him]self from exploding” (251). 

After the fireman and the policewoman consult, Lily tells the fireman she won’t be getting down. When the fireman refuses to pull a kid out of a tree, the policewoman is angry and unsure how to proceed. Lily feels like she won the first battle. 

When Lily’s mom arrives, she yells at Lily to get down and tells her she’s grounded for skipping school, embarrassing Lily. Lily was sure her mom would have her back, but while her mom talks to the police officer and the tree removal guys, Sarah and several other onlookers yell their support to Lily. When Lily continues to refuse to come down, her mom climbs up, chastising her for skipping school and making her worry but also commending her for being big-hearted and strong. While they’re talking, the tree cutters leave, but the policewoman informs them that they’ll be back in the morning to finish their job. Lily is upset that Bob is still slated to be cut down, and when her mom asks whether she’s going to give up, she isn’t sure. 

When the police officer leaves, Lily’s mom makes a deal that she can stay in the tree all night, while her mom stays at the base, but Lily has to come down in the morning. Lily is happy to be in the tree overnight, and she’s glad to have company. After bringing Lily a sandwich, Lily’s mom and Sarah set up in lawn chairs at the base of Bob. Lily knows it’s not the kind of picnic normal people have, but she isn’t interested in being normal. When Lily’s dad arrives, he yells up that he doesn’t like what she’s doing, but he’s proud that she’s “standing up for something that doesn’t have a voice to stand up for itself” (260). That’s the dad that Lily loves, and his words remind her of Grandpop Bob. Lily watches them eat from above and whispers that she has the best family.

After finally getting off the bus, Dunkin feels good to be moving. When Dunkin doesn’t want a ride home with his mom, she admits that she checked his pill bottles. Dunkin is angry, and his mom questions whether he is really taking his meds, even though his pill bottles look empty. Dunkin tries to act normal and make his mom believe that he’s fine. His mom doesn’t buy it, but he’s off running before she can say anything else. Dunkin feels wonderful when he’s alone and moving, and though he feels like he could run to New Jersey, he settles on running to Dunkin’ Donuts. 

As Dunkin passes three people in lawn chairs beneath Bob, he hears the man call to someone named Tim in the branches. Surprised, Dunkin calls Tim’s name too, and when everyone turns to look at him, he introduces himself as Tim’s friend from school. As he says it, he realizes that he is Tim’s friend, despite the way that he’s treated him. Tim invites him up, and even though Dunkin feels like moving again, he feels that it’s important that he be Tim’s friend tonight, so he agrees. Scared of heights, Dunkin hesitates on the way up, but Tim encourages him, and so does a voice over his left shoulder. There isn’t anyone there, but Dunkin feels like someone very familiar is. 

When Dunkin settles on the branch, his mind is racing with questions, but he doesn’t speak because his fear of heights has gripped him. Tim explains that he’s in the tree to keep it from being cut down, and Dunkin thinks that’s incredible. Knowing that his mom is constantly worried about him recently, Dunkin texts her that he’s with a friend, and she responds that she has a migraine and is going to bed. Sitting in the tree eating doughnuts and Pop-Tarts, Dunkin has a great time; however, his mind won’t stop racing, and his body feels antsy. Dunkin asks several questions about this tree protest, but there’s one question that has been on his mind for a while. Dunkin asks why Tim’s mom called him Lily. 

Lily doesn’t know how to respond. Part of her loves that her mom calls her Lily, but the other part wishes she hadn’t done it in front of Dunkin. If Dunkin knew the truth, he could tell people, and that might make life harder for Lily. Lily hesitates, but she wants to tell him the truth. Lily explains to Dunkin that the dress she wore the first time he saw her wasn’t because of a dare. She explains that she was born a boy but has always felt like a girl. Dunkin’s silence makes Lily wonder if she shouldn’t have told him; she imagines him laughing with the Neanderthals. Breaking his silence, Dunkin explains that he’s never met a transgender person before, and Lily is floored by his accurate terminology. When Lily asks Dunkin if he has any questions, he simply asks her whether she has anymore Pop-Tarts. 

Dunkin and Lily wake in the tree. Lily asks Dunkin not to tell anyone her secret because she’s not ready. Lily is touched when Dunkin asks whether he should call her Lily, though she asks him to wait until she’s ready to be Lily full-time. When Lily asks whether Dunkin should get in touch with his parents, Dunkin frets that his mom will be upset with him and tells Lily that his dad is somewhere else at the moment. Before Dunkin can elaborate, the police officer arrives. When Lily admits that they’ll likely have to climb down soon, Dunkin whispers that he had a lot of fun and calls her Lily. She reminds him he doesn’t have to call her Lily yet.

The mayor arrives and congratulates Lily for her persistence but explains that Bob has to come down. Lily knows there are ways that the city could keep Bob standing, but she is sore, hungry, and has to pee very badly. When the mayor asks if she’s ready to get out of the tree, Lily looks at the love on her family’s faces and at her new friend Dunkin and agrees that it’s time.