Hoot: Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

For the rest of the week, Roy sits in the front of the bus and looks for the running boy without success. But on Friday, when he’s given up, he glances up from his comic and sees the boy running. Just as the bus stops and Roy gets up to chase after the boy, Dana grips Roy around the neck and squeezes. Annoyed, Roy punches behind him, Dana cries out, and then Roy races off the bus, brushing past a tall blond girl as he does so. For several blocks, Roy pursues the boy. They run through a construction site and onto a golf course as Roy’s legs tire. Roy doesn’t see the golf ball until it hits him above his ear and knocks him to the ground.

It’s Roy’s own fault that Dana calls him “cowgirl.” Though Roy was born in Detroit, Michigan, he lived in Montana before coming to Florida and told his new classmates he was from Montana. Roy liked Montana better than anywhere else the Eberhardts have lived. In fact, he liked it so much that he tried to run away the night Roy’s father announced they were moving. Now, in vice principal Miss Hennepin’s office, Roy explains that he punched Dana because Dana was choking him to death. She says Dana told her Roy’s attack was unprovoked and the bus driver saw nothing, but Roy sarcastically says he punches big kids for fun and the driver was probably paying attention to the road.

Miss Hennepin isn’t convinced that Dana is a bully, since no other kids have complained. Roy argues that this is because everyone is too afraid of Dana to upset him (this is also why no kids will corroborate Roy’s story). Studying a black hair sprouting from Miss Hennepin’s upper lip, Roy says he ran because he’s scared of Dana. Miss Hennepin asks Roy to step closer. She inspects the lump above his ear and then turns down his shirt collar and says, “Hmm.” She says it seems like Roy learned his lesson, so she’s suspending him from the bus and he must write an apology letter to Dana. Roy tries not to look thrilled as he leaves her office. In the bathroom, he inspects his neck—Miss Hennepin certainly saw the bruises Dana left on Roy’s neck. And Roy did tell the truth, though he didn’t mention the running boy.

By now, it’s lunchtime. Roy eats his chili burger, but the cookie is disgusting. Just as he stands up, a strong hand lands on his shoulder. But it’s not Dana; it’s the blond girl from the bus. She tells Roy he could’ve hurt her this morning and asks why he ran. Roy is intimidated—this isn’t something he wants boys to see happening, and the girl is clearly a strong athlete. He insists he was trying to escape Dana, but the girl isn’t convinced. She backs Roy into the wall when Roy mentions the running boy with no shoes. Ominously, she tells Roy to mind his own business and then walks off.