- Susan wins. Of course.
- She gets her silver plate, as she envisioned, and she carries it everywhere with her.
- TV reporters interview her, strangers mob her. Our girl is thrilled and proud and is having a grand ol' time.
- That night, Leo and Susan are even allowed into the nightclub at the hotel to dance and eat jalapeno poppers (yum). They watch her interview on the TV over the bar. She's a star.
- The next morning, she is on the front page of the newspaper. They praise her speech as being "mesmerizing, hypnotic, mysteriously touching" (29.6).
- Even at breakfast the next morning, everyone congratulates her.
- They start their journey back to Mica, and Susan busily plans what they will do when they get to school and everyone is there to meet them.
- But when they arrive, absolutely no one is waiting for them out front. So they drive around back to find only three people: two teachers and Dori, who has made a congratulatory sign.
- No confetti. No kazoos.