That Was Then, This Is Now: Chapter 3 Summary & Analysis

Bryon looks all over town for a job but has no luck. He even asks Charlie if he can work at the bar, but Charlie says that he can’t give Bryon a job because he’s a minor. Even if Bryon was of age, Charlie says, he wouldn’t hire Bryon because he lies constantly. Charlie tells Bryon that he’s more inclined to trust Bryon’s actions than his words, and he says that Bryon should try to figure out why he might not be able to get a job. Bryon then asks if he can borrow Charlie’s car on Saturday night, given Charlie’s statement that he trusts Bryon’s actions. Charlie thinks about it and says yes, as long as he returns it with the same amount of gas. Bryon is shocked that Charlie has agreed. He’s is unable to say thank you, explaining that he’s always had a hard time being sincere.

Bryon then leaves the bar and calls Cathy, asking her out to a dance that Saturday at the school gym. Cathy agrees. Later, Bryon asks if Mark wants to double date. Mark is surprised that Bryon is going out, remarking that Bryon hasn’t gone out with a girl since Angela Shepard—whom Bryon can’t stand now. Mark says he promised he’d go solo with Terry Jones, Williamson, and Ponyboy Curtis because he thought Bryon would go solo too. Bryon says he doesn’t like Curtis, and Mark knows it’s because Angela dumped Bryon to try and date Curtis—although Curtis ignored her.

Saturday arrives. Bryon is excited for the dance, but he doesn’t know what to wear. As Bryon shaves in the bathroom, Mark says that he found a shirt for Bryon to wear. Bryon goes into their shared bedroom and sees the shirt, which happens to be Bryon’s size and a good color for him. Bryon wonders if Mark stole the shirt, but he pushes that thought aside and thinks how lucky he is to have a friend like Mark.

Bryon drives to pick up Cathy. While he waits for her to get ready, Mr. and Mrs. Carlson chat with him as M&M reads nearby. Mr. Carlson makes fun of M&M’s long hair and the fact that M&M flunked out of math and gym. Cathy then emerges, and she and Bryon leave. In the car, Cathy wishes that Mr. Carlson wouldn’t pick on M&M. She says that despite M&M’s flaws, he’s caring and doesn’t get into trouble. Cathy explains that she’s really close with M&M and figures that Bryon must know about being close with a sibling because of Mark. Bryon agrees.

Bryon and Cathy arrive at the dance, which is in full swing by the time they get there. Most people don’t recognize Cathy because she’s been away, and everyone stares at the two of them. Bryon likes being the center of attention, and he can tell that Cathy is enjoying the attention as well. He thinks that he really likes Cathy.

Bryon and Cathy meet up with Mark and Curtis, and Bryon is worried that Cathy might want to ditch him for Curtis just like Angela did. As they talk, however, he is relieved that Cathy doesn’t seem interested in Curtis. Mark and Curtis then go over to a group of girls, and Cathy comments that she forgot how attractive Mark is. Bryon has a flash of jealousy and anger. He explains that the worst feeling in the world is “to hate the person you love best.”

Just then, Angela Shepard approaches Bryon and Cathy. She’s as beautiful as ever, with long curly black hair, but Bryon wonders at why he ever liked her. Just to rub it in, Bryon asks if she is at the dance with Curtis (knowing full well that Curtis ignored her advances). Angela calls him a few ugly names and walks away. When Bryon explains that he used to go out with Angela, Cathy is relatively indifferent to her, and Bryon realizes that Cathy is very sensible and mature. He also recognizes that she isn’t really interested in Mark—she just likes him because he’s Bryon’s brother and best friend.

Bryon and Cathy dance together through the night. Later in the evening, they hear a scream in the parking lot. Curtis finds Bryon and shouts that Mark has been hurt, and Bryon shoves his way to the parking lot. Mark is lying on the ground, unconscious, with blood running down the side of his face from a bad gash. Bryon is really worried; Curtis tells him that a cop called an ambulance. Bryon then looks around and sees that a cop has the kid who attacked Mark in handcuffs.

Bryon looks at the kid who attacked Mark and says that he is going to kill him for what he did. Curtis tells Bryon that he and Mark were sitting on the car, and the kid just showed up and started taking a swing at Curtis. They started to fight, and the kid picked up a beer bottle. Mark stepped between them to calm the kid down, and the kid hit Mark over the head with the bottle. Bryon then sees the kid talking to Angela and realizes that she asked the kid to fight with Curtis because Curtis ignored her. Bryon realizes that the person he really wants to get even with is Angela.

Soon after, the ambulance arrives, and Bryon rides with Mark to the hospital. Bryon almost starts to cry with worry. Mark asks Bryon to stay with him in the hospital, and Bryon promises that he will. At the hospital, a doctor puts 10 stitches in Mark’s head. When they discharge Mark, Bryon worries about how they’ll get home. Just then, however, Cathy and Curtis arrive at the hospital in Charlie’s car—Curtis had hot-wired it. Bryon starts to admire Curtis, realizing that he had no fault in what happened between Bryon and Angela.

Bryon drives Curtis home and then drops Cathy off at her house. He apologizes to Cathy for how things turned out, but she assures him that she had a good time. Bryon wants to kiss her, but he decides to play it safe and refrain from doing so, in case she doesn’t want to. He tells her that he will call her.

When Bryon and Mark arrive home, Bryon helps Mark into bed. Mark tells Bryon that he was really scared when he got hit—he thought he was going to die. He explains that when Bryon arrived, however, he calmed down. He says that he feels as though Bryon is really his brother. Bryon knows that Mark has never had a real family—even before Mark’s parents died, Mark knew that his dad wasn’t his real father and that he was illegitimate. Bryon says that he thinks of Mark as his brother too, and when he looks at Mark, he sees that Mark is smiling.