Far From the Tree

After he meets with Grace and Maya, Joaquin thinks about Grace punching the guy at her school. Joaquin has never been in a fight, but he remembers how he learned to punch: He once had a foster dad who was an amateur boxer who “show[ed] Joaquin how to punch a bag that hung in the garage” (170). He thinks about all of the things he learned from his past foster families, including “how to adapt, how to change his colors like a chameleon so that he could blend into his surroundings” so “no one would realize that he was a foster kid” (171). That night, Mark and Linda again bring up the idea of adopting Joaquin. They remind him that they love him and trust him, and they “really do want [him]” (176). Still, Joaquin is haunted by the memories of his last adoption, and he avoids the question by asking for more time to think about it. The next day at school, Joaquin runs into Birdie, who tells him that she misses him. Joaquin admits that he misses Birdie too, but Birdie begs him to “tell [her] why” (178) he broke up with her. Joaquin tries to avoid the question, but Birdie accuses him of running away from their relationship because he is scared of “being left again” (178). She begs Joaquin to trust her, but Joaquin admits that he “[doesn’t] trust [him]self” (179), and he leaves her crying in the hallway.

After learning that Maya’s parents are getting a divorce, Grace starts to worry that “Daniel and Catalina [won’t] stay together and that they [will] divorce” (180), like Maya’s parents. She wonders if she chose the wrong parents for her baby, and she can’t stop thinking about her biological mother. Grace is frustrated with her parents, who are “slowly beginning to drive her insane” (181) as they encourage Grace to return to regular life. Grace feels stuck, and one day she lies to her mom about needing the car so she can “meet [Janie] at the mall” (183), even though she and Janie haven’t spoken since the last day Grace was at school. Instead, she meets up with Rafe and invites him to lunch.

Grace tells Rafe about Maya’s parents getting divorced, and Rafe realizes that Grace is worried about Peach’s adoptive parents splitting up. Rafe explains that his parents divorced when he was five, and “it didn’t ruin [his] life” (188), but Grace worries about doing all of the right things for her daughter to give her the easiest life possible. Grace tells Rafe that her life has been completely ruined, and she starts to have a breakdown and cry. Rafe comforts her and tells her that “anybody who cares this much about the kind of parents [Peach] has probably picked a pretty good set for her” (190). He reminds Grace that she’s not alone and has him as a friend. Grace tells him again that she isn’t looking for a romantic relationship, and Rafe agrees that they are just friends. When Grace returns home, her mother asks if she’s been crying, and Grace lies and blames her appearance on her contact lenses.

Claire apologizes for not answering Maya’s texts right away, but she reminds Maya that “[she] was camping” and “[she] didn’t have [her] phone” (192). Maya is still angry, but Claire manages to calm her down. She apologizes again for not being there for Maya. They make up, but “the breakup happen[s] five days later” (194). As the stress from her parents’ divorce continues to build, Maya begins to lash out at Claire for small things. She realizes that Claire’s habits never used to bother her, but now she can’t help but fixate on them.

When Maya complains about her father rescheduling dinner with her and Lauren, Claire tries to comfort her, but Maya thinks that Claire is “too measured, too reasonable” (196) and unable to match her fury. They argue, and Maya accuses Claire of not understanding her frustration or how hard the last few months have been. Claire shoots back that Maya “[doesn’t] tell [Claire] anything” (198) about how she is feeling or the details of her life, and in a moment of blind rage, Maya breaks up with Claire. Claire is shocked, and Maya doesn’t feel in control of herself. Claire tries to reason with Maya, but Maya stops talking and Claire storms away. When Maya returns home, she and Lauren have to make dinner plans on their own because their mom is “passed out” (202). They get dinner at a Greek restaurant, then return home to find their mom “crumpled like a baby bird” on the floor of her bathroom, with “blood coming from her head” (204). Lauren and Maya call 911, and as they wait for the ambulance to come, Maya wants to call Claire but realizes that she can’t anymore. Instead, Maya calls Grace.

The next day, Joaquin gets a text from Grace asking him to come to Maya’s house. Joaquin senses that “something’s wrong” (207). In Maya’s backyard, Grace, Joaquin, and Maya sit around the pool as Maya explains that she and Claire broke up. She tells them that “[her] mom’s a pretty big alcoholic” (215) and that she got really drunk and “hit her head” (216) last night when Maya and Lauren weren’t home. Her dad is taking her mom to rehab, and Maya drops her sarcasm and expresses her fear that this could happen again if her mother checks herself out of rehab too soon. Maya is overwhelmed because “[her] mom’s a drunk and [her] ex-girlfriend hates [her]” (219). Joaquin opens up about his breakup with Birdie, and he admits that he did it because he knew that he “wasn’t good enough for her” (220).

Grace and Maya scold him for selling himself short. When Joaquin argues that he doesn’t have family photos or stability like Birdie, Maya, or Grace, Maya points out that her life is not stable now, family photos or not, and that “just because [he] [doesn’t] have some perfect TV family doesn’t mean [he’s] not a good person” (221). They encourage Joaquin to get back together with Birdie, and in return, he urges Maya to make up with Claire. Maya asks Grace to share her breakup story, but Grace evades the conversation. When Joaquin returns home to Mark and Linda, he tells them that he doesn’t want them to adopt him because “things are really good right now,” and they “shouldn’t mess with it” (225). Mark and Linda are disappointed, but they accept his decision and remind him that they would “never do what [the Buchanans] did” (225) because they love him, no matter what.