Chapter 8 starts with 15-year-old Ward’s first encounter with nine-year-old Ronald at her high school’s summer camp, where she worked as a counselor. He reminds her of her brother Josh. Ward describes this period of her life as “the tail end of a devout Christian phase” (164) precipitated by her interest in the Christian tenets of unconditional love and acceptance. She later falls away from the church when confronted with “the rigidity of the doctrine and the hypocrisy of some of the most devout Christian students I went to school with” (164). As a child, Ronald exudes charisma and even declares to the older Ward, “One day I’m going to marry you” (167).

Ronald maintains this charm as he grows older and “always [seems] to be smiling, to be leaning forward as he [walks], all the angles of his body harmonious like a song” (169). Ward, in retrospect, alludes to a darker side to Ronald. She connects her own experiences with a diminished sense of self-worth and comments on the prevalence of these feelings in their community.

Ward witnesses Ronald’s persistent charm and continued declarations of marriage. Despite this, Ward admits there are many things she does not know about Ronald’s life, including his cocaine use and work as a drug dealer, which causes a rift in his family that leaves him homeless at age 19.