March 20, 1993

At dusk in Bellevue, John’s rattling Buick arrives at Steph and Darla’s home. John, calling himself Virgil, delivers a contrite speech that wins Darla’s immediate forgiveness. Lucky, introduced as Andi, reunites joyfully with Steph and meets Blossom, while privately recoiling at John’s lies and Darla’s ready trust.

As Darla and John rekindle their romance, Steph ushers Lucky inside. Lucky wants the stability but feels the deception like a yoke. John signals they can stay if Darla isn’t angry, and Darla’s embrace confirms they are in—for now.

Two months pass. Darla pampers John and finds him a salesman job through a family friend. Their household slips into a 1950s-style routine that Steph finds odd but tolerates because her mother is happier and less strict. The girls spend evenings with neighborhood kids, briefly tasting ordinary childhood.

Darla pays for Lucky’s enrollment at Steph’s private school using forged documents John supplied. Lucky loves school, fully inhabiting her Andi identity and quickly rising to the top of the class, especially in math. Being a grade below Steph lets Lucky focus while still seeing her best friend constantly.

Lucky and Steph grow like sisters, and teacher Mrs. Gadsby praises Lucky’s promise. Even as Lucky thrives, she’s sickened by living on Darla’s dime and the ongoing deceit. She tries to speak truth whenever possible, clinging to small honesty while fearing that this fragile, borrowed life cannot last.