This Is Where I Leave You Chapter 28 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • Judd flashes back to an important night in his life.
  • Back then, he was a high school kid with a huge crush on a girl named Alice. Yup—that Alice.
  • Judd went to a house party that night in the hopes of finally kissing her. As he walked across the room toward her, he accidentally knocked a drink out of the hands of an older kid named Tony Rusco.
  • Rusco, being a classy fellow, decides to kick Judd as hard as he can where the sun don't shine. Alice helps Judd into the upstairs bedroom to recover, but he falls asleep. She's gone when he wakes up.
  • Defeated, he heads home. Then, out of nowhere, Paul pulls up next to him in their dad's Cadillac. He heard about what happened and tells Judd that they're going to beat up Rusco. Judd doesn't want to, but he gets in anyway. Way to give in to peer pressure, dude.
  • Rusco is standing in his front yard with two friends when the brothers arrive. Paul doesn't say a word—he just walks up to Rusco and knocks him out. Paul's a little punch-happy, don't you think?
  • Judd begs Paul to come back to the car but he won't listen.
  • A woman emerges from Rusco's house with a Rottweiler. Uh-oh. Bet you wish you'd gone back to the car now, Paul.
  • Judd and Paul try to run, but the woman drops the leash and the dog gives chase.
  • Judd jumps on top of the car while Paul jumps inside through an open window. Sounds like a safe getaway, but … Paul can't roll up the window in time, so the dog leaps in behind and starts viciously attacking him.
  • Eventually, Rusco makes it over and pulls the dog out of the car. Judd gets in and drives away with Paul barely conscious.