Corrupt

“Everything was so polished, and when I looked around at all the adults and families I grew up with, their money and designer clothes, I often saw a coat of paint that you apply when you’re trying to cover up rotting wood. There were dark deeds and bad seeds, but who cared if the house was falling apart as long as it was pretty, right?”

One of the main reasons Rika wants to move to Meridian City is so she can find independence outside of the sheltered and picture-perfect life she grew up with in Thunder Bay. However, this quote uses a metaphor to highlight the fact that Rika will soon have to face the “rotting wood” in her own life when she reconnects with Michael and his friends and learns their nefarious plans for her.

“‘You ran away from my brother, my family, your mother, and even your own friends,’ he pointed out, ‘but what if one day you found that all of those securities you took for granted—your house, your money, and the people who love you—weren’t there anymore? Would you need help then? Would you finally realize how very brittle you are without those comforts you seem to think you don’t need?’”

In this quote, Michael foreshadows how he and his friends plan to ruin Rika’s life. Additionally, he emphasizes how “brittle” she is, conveying that he still views Rika as a possession or object instead of a human.

“Erika Fane played her parts well. The dutiful, self-sacrificing daughter for her mother, the pleasant, agreeable girlfriend for my brother, and a shining student and beauty in our seaside community growing up. Everyone loved her.

She thought she was nothing to me, insignificant and invisible. She wanted me to open my eyes and see her again so fucking badly, but she didn’t realize that I already did. I knew the deceiving cunt that stewed underneath that perfect little sheen of hers, and I couldn’t forget.”

Throughout their lives, Rika and Michael are continuously watching each other. However, Michael feels like they cannot be together due to his family and—when he believes that Rika is the one who uploaded the damning videos—due to her betrayal of his friends and chosen brothers. The coarse and demeaning language he uses here emphasizes his toxic opinions about Rika’s personality and worth.