Chapter summaries Forget Me Not Alyson Derrick

Chapter 26: A Leap of Faith – Stevie Confides in Ryan

⚠️ 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

After a week of frantic activity to avoid thinking about Nora, Stevie admits her feelings are still burning. At Sunday Mass with her parents, she imagines coming out to them: she believes her father would disown her, and fears her mother might choose the Church over her. Stevie decides to apologize to Ryan for kissing him at the Dinor. They meet and agree to be friends. Gathering courage, Stevie asks Ryan if it would be weird to like a girl. Ryan immediately guesses Nora Martin and promises not to tell anyone. Stevie then reveals the whole truth about her pre-accident relationship with Nora and the lies Nora told after she woke up. Ryan encourages her to get answers from Nora instead of suppressing her feelings. The chapter ends with Stevie inviting Ryan to dinner, beginning a new supportive friendship.

Key Events

  • Stevie spends the week picking up shifts, helping her parents, and watching Netflix to distract herself from thoughts of Nora.
  • At church, she imagines telling her parents she likes Nora; she pictures her dad disowning her and worries her mom would prioritize her status at St. Joe's.
  • She texts Ryan to come over and talk.
  • During a walk, Stevie apologizes for the kiss and suggests they be just friends; Ryan agrees.
  • Stevie, trembling, asks if it would be weird for her to like a girl. Ryan correctly guesses Nora and promises secrecy.
  • Stevie tells Ryan everything about the box, her confrontation with Nora, and the truth about UCLA and California.
  • Ryan challenges her avoidance and urges her to seek the full story from Nora.
  • Ryan accepts Stevie's invitation to stay for ribs, lightening the mood.

Character Development

Stevie begins to break down her own walls by confiding in Ryan. Her internal conflict between her genuine feelings for Nora and her fear of family and religious rejection is laid bare. This chapter shows her taking a concrete step toward self-acceptance, even though she still hesitates to confront Nora directly. Ryan emerges as a true friend, responding with empathy and insight rather than judgment. His willingness to believe Stevie and his gentle push for her to pursue the truth mark a turning point in their relationship, from casual acquaintance to trusted ally. Stevie's parents remain at a distance, but their imagined reactions reinforce the oppressive environment Stevie feels she is trapped in.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Secrecy and Trust: Stevie’s entire existence with Nora had been hidden. Now she risks trusting Ryan with the secret, and his reaction shows her that honesty can be safe.
  • Religious Hypocrisy: Stevie’s memory of a theology teacher arguing against same-sex marriage, combined with her mother’s investment in church status, highlights the conflict between personal love and institutional doctrine.
  • Internal vs. External Conflict: The battle between Stevie's inner certainty (“something that feels so right”) and the external judgment she expects from family and community is the emotional core of the chapter.
  • Stifled Communication: Both Stevie and Nora have avoided giving full explanations. Ryan’s question—“Did Nora tell you how you came to that decision?”—points to the missing piece Stevie needs to understand her own past choices.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 26 is a crucial turning point. For the first time since waking from the accident, Stevie voluntarily shares the truth about her sexuality and her relationship with Nora with another person. Ryan’s supportive reaction counters her fear of rejection and plants the seed that she may not be alone. The chapter also clarifies the central obstacle: it is not Stevie’s lack of love for Nora, but her dread of losing her family, that keeps her paralyzed. By choosing to confide in Ryan, Stevie takes the first step toward reclaiming her agency and building a support network outside of Nora.

Study Questions & Answers

  1. What specific fear prevents Stevie from being honest with her parents about her sexuality?
    Stevie fears her father would disown her—he didn’t want “the queers” on his TV station. She also worries her mother, whose status at St. Joe’s Church means everything, would choose the Church over her daughter, a painful echo of Stevie herself choosing to leave for California with Nora.

  2. How does Ryan confirm that he already suspected Stevie’s secret before she told him?
    Ryan lists three clues: Stevie spent her fair money trying to cheer up Nora, her face lit up when she talked about Nora, and he sensed Nora wasn’t straight either. This shows he had been observing Stevie carefully and is more perceptive than she assumed.

  3. Why does Stevie decide not to tell Ryan about the kiss with Nora?
    Stevie feels that saying the kiss out loud would make it sound small, reducing the emotional weight of what it meant. This omission reveals her protectiveness over the intimacy she shared with Nora and her need to keep that moment private.

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