Fish in a Tree

In the middle of a brainstorming session for a community service project, Shay raises her hand and announces that she's inviting everyone to her birthday party so no one is left out. Keisha asks how this connects to the community service project, and Mr. Daniels compliments Shay and then quickly moves on. Later, Shay loudly whispers to Jessica that she's mad that Shay's mom is making her invite everyone, and she hopes some people don't show up.

Mom makes Ally agree to go to Shay's party, even though Shay is mean and neither Albert nor Keisha are going. At lunch the next day, Ally asks Albert and Keisha for a disease to use as an excuse to not go. Albert suggests the black plague and lists the symptoms. Keisha points out that Ally could just have a cold like a normal person.

Ally arrives at the Butterfly Gardens for Shay's party. She notices girls from other classrooms as well as Jessica, all of whom are wearing friendship bracelets. Ally wonders if Keisha would like one. An employee lines up the kids and talks about the butterflies, making it clear that they're not to grab them. The butterflies flock to Ally's orange shirt, and she wonders if she's part butterfly.

Ally remembers Albert saying once that Native Americans believe that if a person caught a butterfly and whispered their deepest wish to it, the butterfly would carry the wish to the spirits. Ally remembers the employee saying to not grab the butterflies, but her hand acts of its own accord and closes loosely around a black and orange one. She opens her hand and the butterfly flies to the ground. The employee is upset, and Shay says that Ally likely killed it by touching its wings. Ally tries to explain about the wish givers, but Shay calls Ally a freak show. Shay's mom explains that Ally is part of the party, but not her daughter, and Ally wishes Mom were here.

The employee carefully picks up the hurt butterfly as Ally watches a mind movie of butterflies falling like rain. Suki comforts Ally by saying she knows Ally didn't hurt the butterfly on purpose, but Ally thinks that she'd do almost anything for her wish to come true.