The Lies I Tell

Sometimes, people do horrible things and get away with it, especially if they are in positions of privilege and power. As a demographic that has been traditionally let out of the circle of prestige, women must look out for each other. This theme of Girl Code, or the idea of women helping other women, is central to the plot and the protagonists’ arcs.

The concept of Girl Code begins with Kristen Gentry, the popular girl in high school who took care to be kind to Meg. Meg latches onto the words Kristen says in one of her many moments of kindness: “It’s girl code. We have to look out for each other because no one else will.” (19). This sense of loyalty to other women leads Meg to take down Cory Dempsey, the math-teacher-turned-principal at another high school who sexually assaulted Kristen. This idea also bounces around in Meg’s mind, as she recalls her mom frequently saying, “Two women working together are a force to be reckoned with” (30). This shows how women helping women can be powerful and how deep Meg’s belief in this goes, especially since she reveres her mother and pursues decades of cons with the hopes of bringing justice to the man who conned her.