46 pages • 1 hour read
Ani, returning from Nantucket, thinks about Andrew (Mr. Larson) and taps into her adolescent crush on him and his support when no one else believed her about the attack. She texts him, and he agrees to meet for a drink. At the bar, Andrew extols Ani’s career success although Ani dismisses it: “I give blow job tips” (146). When talk turns to the documentary, Andrew encourages Ani to tell her story. Ani tries to put up a front, assuring him, “I’m not a mess” (148), even as she begins to cry. Unlike Luke, who believes she needs to move on, Andrew sympathizes with Ani. For Luke participating in the documentary means only that the two of them can finally “get back to normal” (154). Moving on, Andrew assures Ani, does not mean not talking about it. In an epiphanic moment, she realizes, “He likes me broken” (156). On impulse she apologizes for lying to the headmaster when Mr. Larson tried to report the assault. The two part ways.
The chapter begins with Ani leaving the headmaster’s office. She has refused to admit what Mr. Larson revealed. Ani protects the three attackers, believing that her silence will keep her in their clique.
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