Chapter 35: Audre & Bash Are Just Friends

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Bash spends the day repairing his broken Smurf lunch box while reflecting on how happy he feels with Audre. He talks on the phone with his half-sister Clio, who admits she has been secretly dating Reshma (Audre’s best friend) after breaking up with Jake-Anthony. Bash reveals two healthy decisions: he turned down a tattoo apprenticeship in Myrtle Beach so he can stay near Audre, and he has decided to write an email to his estranged father Milton. Inspired by a glue repair that makes the Smurf look “like nothing ever happened,” Bash writes a five-minute letter forgiving his father and closes that chapter of his life. He then walks to Nitehawk Cinema to meet Audre. She arrives early, visibly upset, and asks him to share his good news first. He tells her he is staying in Brooklyn for her. She breaks down and says they cannot see each other anymore because of her mother. Bash begs her to stay, but she kisses his cheek and leaves, leaving him devastated.

Key Events

Bash glues his broken Smurf lunch box, using the repair as a metaphor for healing.
He and Clio reconcile and share their summer secrets: Clio is now dating Reshma, and Bash has kept his relationship with Audre and his family background from her.
Bash announces he has turned down the Myrtle Beach tattoo job to remain in Brooklyn (near Audre).
He writes and sends an emotional email to his father Milton, forgiving him and letting go.
Bash meets Audre outside Nitehawk, where she is crying.
He tells her he is staying for her; she replies that they cannot see each other anymore, citing her mother’s opposition.
Audre kisses Bash on the cheek and walks away, leaving him heartbroken.

Character Development

Bash experiences the most growth in this chapter. He releases his obsession with fixing broken things by sending the letter to his father—a direct acknowledgment that some relationships cannot be patched. He chooses to stay in Brooklyn not because Audre asked, but because he sees opportunity there. His decision to stop racing the “seven-minute” timer that Milton set marks a symbolic break from a lifetime of trying to earn approval.

Audre is still offstage for most of the chapter, but her appearance shows she has been deeply affected by the confrontation with her mother. She arrives rattled, trying to smile, and ultimately chooses to follow her mother’s ultimatum. Her willingness to end things with Bash—despite clearly wanting to stay—shows her loyalty to family obligations, but also her inability to stand up to parental pressure at this point.

Clio continues to develop as a supportive sibling. She admits her own failures (cheating, using Reshma) and encourages Bash to seek closure with their father. Their honest phone call deepens the bond between the half-siblings.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Repair as metaphor: Bash’s obsessive gluing of the Smurf and the cracked vase parallels his desire to fix his relationship with his father. The line “like nothing ever happened” becomes the catalyst for his letter—he realizes he cannot fake repair with Milton.
Time and timing: Bash sets a five-minute timer to write the email, determined to “beat” the time it took Milton to disown him (seven minutes). This motif underscores his lifelong need to measure up.
Home as a feeling: Bash reflects on the cliché that home is not a place—it is wherever Audre is. This belief drives both his decision to stay in Brooklyn and his devastation when she ends things.
Emotional honesty: Bash learns from Audre that “anything less than emotional honesty is cheating.” He applies this principle by being truthful in his letter to his father and by openly begging her not to leave.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 35 is the emotional climax of Bash’s personal arc. He achieves closure with his father, chooses his own future over a distant dream, and finally prioritizes something—someone—over his need to fix the unfixable. At the same time, the chapter delivers the most painful setback of the entire romance: Audre’s decision to obey her mother. Their brief moment of happiness is shattered, setting up the final chapters’ question of whether love can survive external pressure. The juxtaposition of Bash’s triumphant email with Audre’s tearful goodbye makes this chapter both a high and a low point in the story.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Bash decide to write a letter to his father, and what does he hope to achieve?
Bash writes the email because Clio convinced him to seek closure before his father dies. He says forgiveness is about his own peace, not letting Milton off the hook. He wants to stop Milton’s voice from weighing him down so he can fully enjoy the good things in his life—especially his relationship with Audre.

2. How does the broken Smurf lunch box function as a symbol in this chapter?
The Smurf represents Bash’s compulsion to repair everything. He spends hours gluing it, just as he previously fixed a chipped vase. When he realizes the repair makes the Smurf “look like nothing ever happened,” he understands that he cannot do the same with his father. The letter becomes his way of accepting that some breaks cannot be hidden.

3. Why does Audre break up with Bash at the end of the chapter, even though she clearly still loves him?
Audre had a stern conversation with her mother after the couples’ confrontation the night before. Her mother likely forbade her from seeing Bash, and Audre feels she has no choice but to obey. She delivers the news while crying and later presses her lips to his cheek like a goodbye kiss, showing that her decision is reluctant and painful—not a rejection of Bash but a submission to parental authority.