On the train, Ted begins the story of the fourth friend, Ali, explaining that although she joined last, she defined their group. He characterizes Ali’s laugh, energy, and relentless ideas, noting that the artist painted birds and a reddish sky for her; the red came from chili sauce Ali sprayed during a game. Ted confirms the painting shows Ted, Joar, and Ali on the pier while the artist saw himself as the world around them—“the water and the air.”

Ted recalls Ali’s explosive arrival at school: she fled the principal’s office with a black eye and bloody knuckles after a fight in gym class. Joar nicknamed her “Ali” after Muhammad Ali, which she embraced. The four quickly bonded; Ali and Joar’s connection became immediate and intense. The friends drifted together after school and spent time on the pier. During one pier scene, Ted shyly admitted his father was dying and that he and his brother quietly returned beer cans; Ali responded with empathy and a near-touch.

Ted shares Ali’s endearing contradictions: she could mimic dolphins and speak fluent French from TV but could not tie her shoes properly until Joar taught her. Ali and Joar escalated each other’s mischief, including stolen fireworks and mailbox explosions, leading to fights followed by quick reconciliations. Ali often delayed going home, timing returns to avoid drunk adults; the artist drew birds for her as she envied creatures who knew their way home.

One night, half-asleep, Ted murmured “I love you” to the artist and to Ali; the artist replied in kind, while Ali whispered back, “I… believe in you.” As winter neared, Ali joined the school choir but dreaded wearing a dress. When Joar joked her singing was like “a chain saw,” Ali lashed out and bloodied his nose, then disappeared for days.

On the day of the end-of-term assembly, Ali stood in a thin dress, terrified. The boys skipped school, borrowed dresses from Joar’s mother, and sat in the front row wearing them. The audience and choir burst into laughter; Ali realized the boys were there to support her, no longer alone. Afterward, Ali shared memories of her dead mother, who had loved singing, and the friends walked in dresses, joking and tripping, then went to the snowy pier, huddled by a small fire, and exchanged their refrain: Ted said “I love you,” Ali said “I believe in you,” the artist combined both, and Joar muttered “Garbage.”

The next day, men at the harbor mocked Joar’s father for Joar wearing a dress. Joar’s father beat him worse than ever. During the first days of the vacation, Joar lay injured in Ted’s basement. The scene closes with the reveal that Ali gave Joar a knife, a key detail Ted had earlier held back.