Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: Part Five, Chapter Eighteen Summary & Analysis

Ari sits in the backseat on the drive home and watches Mom and Dad hold hands. He thinks of smoking and running naked in the rain with Dante. Ari says that he’s going to work, read, and hang out for the rest of the summer, and Dad points out that Ari doesn’t have to work. Ari says he doesn’t have anything else to do since he doesn’t like TV, which he insists is their fault. Mom suggests that Ari and Dante take a camping trip since it’s summer, but Ari thinks of Mrs. Quintana’s warning to remember the rain.

Ari rolls down his window and looks at dark clouds ahead. Raindrops fall on his hand and he thinks they’re like kisses. He’s been dreaming about kissing, but can never figure out whom he’s kissing. Suddenly, the rain begins in earnest and Ari rolls up his window. Dad pulls over and Ari feels small in the middle of the storm. Ari thinks that for him, summers are about storms that make him feel alone, and that boys like him belong to rain, not sunshine.