Into the Beautiful North

Yolo, Vampi, and Nayeli are lucky to discover that the Jack in the Box is staffed by undocumented Mexicans and one Guatemalan. They exchange pesos for dollars, and Nayeli buys everyone food. The girls order tacos while Atómiko orders burgers and pie.

The narrator introduces Ma Johnston, Matt's mother. She lives in a duplex, and after leaving her garbage cans out for several days, Ma Johnston's neighbor, Carla, knocks on Ma's door. Carla finds Ma dead on the floor. In the present, several weeks later, Matt is still at Ma Johnston's house. He spent a few nights with Carla, even though he doesn't have feelings for her, and scattered his mother's ashes in the ocean. He finds the duplex depressing, as all he does is drink beer and watch TV. Matt feels trapped and is shocked to receive a phone call from Nayeli.

Matt pulls into the Jack in the Box parking lot in Ma Johnston's minivan. Nayeli, Yolo, and Vampi rush to him and hug him, and Matt is delighted to see the girls. They look like women now, not the teenagers they were when he last saw them. He doesn't like the look of Atómiko but allows him to come back to the duplex too.

Matt is prepared to apologize for Ma Johnston's home, but Atómiko whistles and the girls declare the place a palace. Atómiko makes himself at home by turning on the TV and asking Vampi to get him a beer, and Matt offers the girls a shower. When Vampi asks to take a bubble bath, he fetches bubbles from Carla. Later, he watches the girls watch MTV.