The Story of Tom Brennan: Chapter Thirteen Summary & Analysis

On Monday, none of the other kids at school seem to even notice Tom and Kylie, let alone whisper about them. Rory checks and makes sure that Tom is okay, and, on the stairs, Chrissy tries to catch up with Tom. When she finally does, Tom insists that he's fine. After school, Tom, Rory, Jimmy, and Brad go to Burger King. They talk about jail; Jimmy's cousin is also in jail, but for a year more than Daniel will be. Tom feels secretly relieved. He's no longer hiding a secret and there are no consequences for that.

Tom and Kylie don't speak to each other. Tom feels as though he can't let Kylie know he's okay, since he still thinks she shouldn't have told anyone. Because everyone else is so preoccupied, Tom spends most of his time at home with Gran. One evening, he asks her if she misses her chickens. Gran lovingly reminisces about two of her chickens, Cain and Abel. Tom wants to know why Gran named two hens after men, and Gran explains that Cain was greedy. Tom tries not to laugh, especially when Gran reminds Tom that Cain murdered Abel without qualifying that she's referring to the Bible story, not the chickens. Tom suggests that Gran get more chickens, but she insists she's too busy.

Tom had been hoping that Fin would drop the idea of a birthday party, but Aunty Kath organizes a barbeque for everyone on Saturday. The night before, Tom goes out to see a movie with Rory, Jimmy, and Brad. They see Chrissy there with Davin, and Brad explains that Davin can have any girl he likes and then move on when he's ready.

Tom discovers Kylie on his bed when he gets home. She apologizes for her speech and admits that she thought giving it would make her feel good. She offers to let Tom read it so that he knows exactly what she said and explains that she didn't say anything bad about him. Kylie says that she feels bad mostly because her speech negatively affected Tom. She explains that she's angry at Daniel because he ruined everything and never considered anyone else, and she admits she did the same thing by giving the speech.

Tom relents and points out that people would've found out eventually, and he and Kylie discuss that there's been no backlash. Kylie asks if Tom will forgive her, and Tom decides he's done being angry with her. He forgives her, and they laugh for a few minutes before then talking about Fin's party. Tom says, almost to himself, that they couldn't have stayed in Mumbilli. Kylie agrees that Coghill is different, but not bad. Then, Kylie starts to giggle again and says she overheard Brendan on the phone—apparently, Chrissy thinks Tom is cute.

At the rehab center, Tom recognizes a lot of guys from the hospital where Fin was. He tries not to cry when he sees Fin in the wheelchair. Aunty Kath makes a wonderful cake and Mum even tries to look nice. Tom can feel the air get chilly when Mum and Kath are near each other, and Brendan tries to ease the tension with little success. Tom tries to escape by helping Dad barbeque, but Fin comes and parks his wheelchair next to Tom. Fin talks about St. John's losing a rugby match and remarks that Bennie's might beat St. John's. He asks who the Bennie's five-eight is and says that even if Rory is good, it's probably not the same as playing with Daniel.

Fin asks if Tom saw the stacks of birthday cards he got from people in Mumbilli. Tom quietly says he's sure everyone misses Fin and thinks that Fin is making it really hard to not hate him. A few minutes later, Tom finds Kylie and Fin to tell Kylie they're leaving. Kylie's eyes are watery, and Fin explains that he got a postcard from Claire. He says that she's in Rome and will bring back holy water for him. Tom wants nothing more than to leave and is thrilled to head back to Coghill. He thinks that there's no point anymore in looking backwards. The next morning, Mum and Dad get a call that Daniel's mental state went downhill with Fin's birthday. They leave for Westleigh and get a hotel so that they can visit him daily.