Tell Me Three Things

Jessie spends her Friday night at Dri's house with Agnes, where her blossoming social life “doesn't feel too weird” (123). Jessie discloses her situation with SN and tries to figure out who he might be by asking if they know anyone whose sister recently died, even though part of her thinks his anonymity is important.

When Jessie returns home, she finds Theo eavesdropping on their parents' fight. They hear Bill tell Rachel he is sick of being judged by her friends, and Jessie considers, for the first time, how out of place her father might feel in LA too. They start to insult each other, and when their children come up, Rachel points out that Jessie “has no friends” (128). Jessie remembers an argument her parents once had, when her mom assured her that “everything passes,” and “what feels huge today will feel small tomorrow” (130), but Jessie does not believe this to be true. As Bill storms out, Rachel tells him not to come back.

In Theo's room, Jessie and Theo wonder if their parents will split up. Jessie worries at the thought of having to start all over again, just as she was finding her footing at Wood Valley. Theo graciously offers her some chocolate to “stress eat,” but when he asks if she thinks her dad signed a prenup, it makes her “hate him all over again” (133).

Jessie and SN continue to share three new things with each other, which leads to a discussion about their dead loved ones and how they no longer dream about them. The morning after her argument with Bill, Rachel frantically searches for her belongings in the kitchen and does not notice Jessie sitting in the kitchen. Jessie worries that her dad might have left for Chicago without her because “when the worst thing you could possibly imagine happens to you, you think maybe other previously inconceivably bad things can happen too” (135).

Later at work that day, Jessie listens to Liam practicing Oville songs, and she particularly enjoys the one about “the girl that no one knows” (139). She hopes Liam does not pity her, having noticed that no one pays attention to “the scholarship kids.” Jessie gets home late, and after having dinner alone, she goes outside to join her father on the porch. Like Rachel that morning, he seems surprised to see her, which frustrates Jessie. In a moment of vulnerability, Bill shares that he feels ill-equipped “for adult life,” but Jessie feels more resentment than sympathy (143-4). 

Jessie and SN now regularly share 3 things about themselves, and SN discloses that his mom is struggling with drug addiction. Jessie meets Ethan to discuss their project, and she notices he has much more energy. When she asks him if he got some sleep, he admits he is “sleep challenged” and finally got six hours of sleep in a row. They go out for coffee, and she wonders if this is a date. He asks if she is going to Gem's party, and when she shares that a “friend” is playing with his band, Ethan reveals that he is also a member of Oville. Ethan talks about the band and Liam in what Jessie perceives as a “belligerent” tone, which darkens the mood of their conversation, until Ethan starts smiling again.

Jessie returns home and finds Theo sipping some wine, saying their parents are idiots, for thinking “they could just insert replacement here and forget that someone they loved actually died” (150). Jessie indulges in the wine he pours for her because she feels it makes it easier to be herself, and she reminds Theo just how lucky and privileged he is, despite losing his father. As the mood lightens, they joke with each other, and Theo offers to let Jessie sit in on his PSAT tutoring sessions.

The night of Gem's party, Jessie asks SN if he will be there, and he begs her not to try to find out who he is. She gets ready with Dri and Agnes, and on the way there, Jessie realizes she feels relatively normal, and that she has, “for at least a little while, taken off my top-secret grief backpack and left it behind” (155).

Dri tells Jessie that the band almost broke up a year ago when Xander died, but Jessie does not have a chance to ask more about it before the band starts. When the band takes a break, Liam approaches Jessie and her friends again. Gem comes over, smothering Liam with kisses. Liam introduces Jessie to Gem for what he thinks is the first time, as Gem feigns barely knowing Jessie, even though she “mocks [her] daily” (159). Dri changes the subject by bringing up one of Liam's guitar riffs, but Gem is quick to pull Liam away, “like he's a yippy dog sniffing something disgusting” (160).

SN messages Jessie, telling her she looks beautiful, but she cannot figure out which boy at the party he might be. She spots Liam's friend Caleb texting, who she noticed on the first day of school. She continues to text SN and tries to convince him to approach her in person, but he confides that he is not comfortable doing that yet. 

Jessie is about to share her crush on Ethan with her friends when Gem approaches her and calls her a skank, telling her to stay away from Liam. Jessie is too drunk and dumbfounded to react, but Agnes finds the exchange amusing, explaining that Gem has “been all messed up” since her dad got arrested for tax fraud and soliciting a prostitute. No longer enjoying herself, Jessie is eager to leave the party, even though “home doesn't really exist anymore” (167).