Patch and Misty walk back up the hill after prom, with Misty tired enough to climb onto Patch's back. When they reach her house, they stop together and look out over Monta Clare, sharing a quiet, intimate moment.

Patch then shifts the conversation to Boston and Harvard, listing places Misty could see there. Because Patch has already decided their future cannot continue as it is, Patch pushes Misty toward leaving town, but Misty says she has already decided not to go.

The conversation turns into an argument when Patch insists Misty cannot throw away her opportunity. Misty says their relationship can work because they love each other, but Patch refuses that future and says Misty cannot compare to Grace. Patch then makes his rejection explicit by admitting Patch never said he loved Misty back because Patch is still tied to someone else.

Misty reacts with anger and humiliation, shoving Patch, slapping him, and declaring that Patch does not get to leave her. In her fury, Misty says Grace is not real and is only a ghost, then is immediately shaken by her own words. When Misty's parents come outside, Misty's mother tries to pull her away, but Misty runs back to Patch before Franklin separates them.

Patch leaves without looking back. By ending the relationship in this brutal way, Patch chooses his unresolved devotion to Grace over a life with Misty and forces a decisive break between them.