Wonder

Miranda’s friendship with Via changes completely. She and Ella badmouth Via to make themselves feel better, but she knows she and Ella are in the wrong, not Via. When they do interact, it’s awkward. She notices when Via gets a boyfriend, so she goes out with an athlete even though he doesn’t really seem into her. When she joins theater and learns that they’re staging The Elephant Man, she lies again by telling Mr. Davenport that her brother is “deformed” and the play is insensitive. Though Mr. Davenport doesn’t seem to care, he switches it to Our Town at the last minute. Miranda then tries out for the lead role of Emily Webb, knowing full well that Via probably will too. She doesn’t expect to get the role, however.

Miranda misses Via’s family. She loves Via’s family, and she’s especially fond of Auggie. She used to get annoyed when people asked her how she could hang out with Auggie. She is also the one who gave him the astronaut helmet he wore everywhere. One day, she calls Via’s house and Auggie picks up. She asks him about school, then tells him that she and Via are sort of hanging around with different people, but that she’ll always be there for him. She then tells him to let Via know that she misses her.

Miranda decides to give up her role as Emily Webb. She realizes that there’s no one there to see her, but everyone is there who might see Via (Both Miranda’s parents are absent, and her boyfriend Zack, as well as her friends, chose to go to his game over seeing her). At the very last minute, she tells Mr. Davenport that she can’t go on because she doesn’t feel well. Though livid, he has her switch clothes with Via. Via is stunned, but Miranda assures her that she’ll do fine. Via asks her why she’s stepping down, but she’s ushered onstage before Miranda can answer.

Miranda watches the play from offstage, and she’s amazed at both Justin and Via. Though Via messes up some of her lines, no one in the audience can tell. The only moment of remorse for Miranda is watching Via’s standing ovation at the end of the play. When she goes backstage, however, she sees Auggie all by himself. She rushes through the crowd and hugs him.

Auggie is elated to see Miranda, and his parents eventually find the two and invite Miranda to dinner. Though she tries to decline, Via comes up and insists that she have dinner with them. As they leave together, Miranda admits, “[…] for the first time in a very, very long time, I felt absolutely happy” (248).