We Were Liars

Cady is at Cuddledown with the Liars. Her old crayon art is still on the refrigerator. The three of them redecorate the house, taking down Bess's things and putting up their own. They still refuse to talk about summer fifteen, but Gat and Cady are now closer than ever. 

Cady plays tennis with the Liars. They empathize with her experience being sick. Gat says he envies her getting to go to Rome.

Cady eats at Clairmont and is forced to sit with her cousins. She has a memory of summer fifteen, of her mother and her sisters arguing with Granddad over who will inherit his property. The three sisters are now friends again, and Cady can't figure out what changed.

The Liars play Scrabble. Cady touches Gat's leg. They talk about their mottos. Gat's is "do not accept an evil you can change" (101). Mirren's is "be a little kinder than you have to" (101). Cady's is "always do what you are afraid to do" (102). Mirren disagrees with Cady’s motto, saying that by ascribing to it, one might die or hurt someone else.

Gat discloses more about his feelings to Cady. He says he feels excluded by her family because he is dark-skinned and South Asian. He says he feels like he is one of their servants. He tells her she only sees part of his life at the island. Back in New York, he is poor. He feels like Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights: a poor boy taken in by a wealthy family but never fully accepted.

Cady tells a new version of the fairy tale. In this one, the youngest princess has a daughter who is tiny and falls in love with a mouse. They both love books. When she presents her suitor to her family, they reject him. The lesson is that if one wants to live where people are not afraid of mice, they must avoid palaces.