Before We Were Innocent

Theo and his friends arrive unannounced just as Bess and Joni are fed up with the trip and with Evangeline. Evangeline has been dictating when the girls go to bed and get up, and they are feeling particularly controlled. Theo has brought Bess a Ronaldo jersey, and she feels especially flattered by his attention. The first night, the guys buy frozen pizzas and everyone drinks too much wine. Bess and Joni finally feel relaxed. The next morning, Bess tries to tell Evangeline that she is enjoyed the trip so far, but Evangeline coldly tells her that she is “transparent.” Wounded by the first truly unkind thing that her friend has said to her, Bess wonders if she and Joni have hurt Evangeline’s feelings more than they realized. Later, Evangeline prepares a big meal for everyone and seems to be engaging in a performance of happiness. Bess is upset to have been seated so far away from Theo.

Joni’s house is spectacularly modern and is perched on the edge of the Malibu coast. When Bess arrives, she questions Joni about Willa’s disappearance. One of the neighbors apparently saw Willa after Joni claims to have left the house. The two had planned to go out paddleboarding, but Joni claims that they did not because Willa found a picture of Zoey, Joni’s secret girlfriend, on Joni’s phone.