Chapter 25 Summary: Dad and Starfire Crash the Apartment

Spoiler Warning: This page contains detailed plot points from Funny Story Chapter 25 (Chapter 24 in the text). If you haven’t read the chapter, proceed with care.

Summary

On Thursday, August 1st – 16 days before the read‑a‑thon – Daphne returns to Miles’s apartment to find her father, JayJay, and his new wife Starfire waiting inside. Her dad is as casually intrusive as ever, already “hotboxing” with a joint. Starfire, a life coach who believes she and JayJay were married in past lives (including the Titanic), is aggressively cheerful. She mistakes Daphne and Miles for a couple and offers to be their “love mentors.” Daphne initially recoils, but when her father reveals they booked a motel and asks to spend time with her, she surprises herself by agreeing. Julia and Miles follow her lead, and the group makes tentative plans to go boating. The chapter ends with Daphne taking a small step toward reconciliation.

Key Events

• Daphne walks into Miles’s apartment and finds her father, JayJay, and his new wife Starfire already inside.
• JayJay hugs Daphne and introduces Starfire, who gushes over Daphne and claims to be an “expath” who projects strong emotions.
• Miles awkwardly explains that he let them in because JayJay said Daphne was expecting them.
• JayJay and Starfire sit on the crowded couch; Julia has moved her belongings into a corner.
• Starfire announces they got married; Daphne learns this via a birthday card she threw away.
• The pair intend to stay “as long as you want,” but JayJay clarifies they have booked a motel outside town.
• Starfire mistakes Daphne and Miles for a romantic couple; Daphne corrects her.
• JayJay asks if Daphne will be their tour guide for a few days. After a tense pause, she says she can make it work.
• Julia overhears and eagerly confirms they are going on the boat.

Character Development

Daphne confronts a familiar pattern: her father shows up with a new partner and minimal warning, bringing gifts that feel like consolation prizes. In previous encounters she might have shut down, but here she invites him into her plans, signaling a shift from avoidance to cautious engagement. She also allows Miles to support her without pushing him away.

Miles demonstrates his “superpower” with strangers: he warmly asks JayJay to smoke outside, keeps the conversation light, and offers to create a diversion if Daphne needs an escape. He stays despite having no obligation.

Starfire is a caricature of new‑age self‑help, but her genuine enthusiasm and insistence on being a “love mentor” shows she is both oblivious and well‑meaning. She inadvertently exposes the emotional distance between Daphne and her father.

Julia retreats from the awkwardness but returns when the mood shifts, showing her adaptability and eagerness to participate in group activities.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

The Unwanted Guest – JayJay’s unannounced arrival echoes his lifelong pattern of showing up when convenient, wielding charm instead of accountability. The cramped apartment becomes a physical symbol of Daphne’s lack of space – emotional and literal – for her father’s intrusions.

Gifts as Apologies – The bouquet that “reminded him of you” is a hollow gesture, highlighting the theme of insufficient love. Daphne recognizes it as a consolation prize for years of neglect.

The Expath vs. Empath – Starfire’s claim to “project powerful emotions” mirrors the chapter’s emotional dynamic: everyone is projecting rather than listening. Daphne projects past hurt; JayJay projects carefree happiness; Starfire projects romantic fantasy. True empathy is absent.

Choice and Boundaries – JayJay unexpectedly booked a motel and asks for Daphne’s time rather than assuming. This small boundary gives Daphne the freedom to say yes, suggesting that genuine connection requires respect, not assumption.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter marks a turning point in Daphne’s relationship with her father. For the first time, JayJay admits he doesn’t know her life (“I didn’t realize you two didn’t share a room”) and asks permission to spend time together. Daphne’s decision to include him – despite the history of disappointment – signals her growing ability to hold both her father’s flaws and her own desire for connection. It also deepens the found‑family bond between Daphne, Miles, and Julia, as they navigate an awkward situation as a unit. The scene prepares the reader for a potential reconciliation while reminding us that old wounds do not heal overnight.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Daphne’s reaction to her father’s arrival differ from how she might have reacted earlier in the story?
Earlier, Daphne would likely have retreated or made excuses to avoid him (as she did with Peter’s family, for instance). Here she initially feels the same instinct to flee, but after JayJay shows he has booked a motel and asks for her time, she chooses to stay and include him in the day’s plans. This shows growth in setting boundaries while still leaving room for connection.

2. What does Starfire’s claim of being an “expath” (projecting emotions) reveal about the chapter’s communication style?
Nobody in the scene is truly listening or empathizing. JayJay projects a happy‑go‑lucky persona; Starfire projects intense, misplaced affection; Daphne projects guarded resentment. The term “expath” underscores the lack of genuine emotional exchange – everyone broadcasts their own feelings rather than receiving others’.

3. Why does Miles stay despite having no obligation to endure Daphne’s family drama?
Miles has grown to care about Daphne as a friend and roommate. Earlier, she offered him the same support when his own family visited. His line “Someone once told me I’m very good with strangers” is a callback to Daphne’s earlier compliment, showing he applies her faith in him to a real‑world crisis. He also gives her a safe escape route if needed, demonstrating that he respects her autonomy.

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