Chapter 26 Summary and Analysis
⚠️ 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
The chapter opens with Ishu's growing alarm over Hani's silence. After the triple date, Hani doesn't answer Ishu's calls on Saturday night and only sends a thumbs-up emoji on Sunday morning. Ishu interprets this as proof that she has scared Hani off with her feelings, and she barely sleeps. She keeps opening the guide she and Hani created, which she describes as a history of their relationship, noting that Hani has stopped updating it since the date.
Determined to control what she can, Ishu spends Sunday studying for Monday's biology test, aiming for a near-perfect score. In class, Aisling slides into the seat beside Ishu and acts friendly, drawing glances from classmates. Hani waves but takes her seat in front of them.
During the test, Aisling nudges Ishu and slides a note asking to see her answers. Ishu hesitates but rationalizes the decision: if she lets Aisling cheat, maybe Aisling will support her Head Girl campaign, and the association alone could change how people treat her. She pushes her test paper closer so Aisling can read it. When Hani collects the papers, she barely looks at Ishu.
At lunch, Ishu joins Hani, Aisling, and Deirdre. Hani has positioned herself so Ishu can't sit beside her. The group plans weekend activities—a football match and milkshakes at Eddie Rocket's—and Ishu suppresses her concerns about the lack of vegetarian options. When Ishu asks to speak with Hani privately, Aisling objects with a joke about heterophobia. Hani snaps that the term doesn't exist, then abruptly leaves, claiming she needs to do Irish homework. Ishu follows her out.
Key Events
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Hani goes silent after the triple date, only sending a thumbs-up emoji
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Ishu studies obsessively for the biology test, trying to control what she can
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Aisling sits beside Ishu in class and acts friendly
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Aisling cheats off Ishu's test, and Ishu lets her
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Hani collects the tests without engaging Ishu
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At lunch, Hani positions herself so Ishu can't sit next to her
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Aisling jokes about heterophobia when Ishu asks to speak with Hani privately
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Hani calls the term ridiculous and leaves abruptly
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Ishu follows Hani out of the classroom
Character Development
Ishu makes a significant moral compromise in this chapter. She knows Aisling is only being friendly to get test answers, yet she lets her cheat anyway, telling herself that Aisling is just hurting herself and that Ishu is doing what needs to be done for the school to have the best Head Girl. This rationalization shows how far Ishu is willing to bend her integrity for social standing. Her internal monologue also reveals her desperation—she admits she's never seen classmates happy to see her before and doesn't know if she likes it or hates it. Her feelings for Hani are also becoming harder to suppress; she calls her feelings ridiculous but can't stop checking the guide.
Hani is emotionally withdrawn throughout the chapter. She avoids eye contact, positions herself so Ishu can't sit beside her, and barely engages when collecting test papers. Yet her snap at Aisling—that heterophobia doesn't exist—shows she still has the courage to call out homophobia even while retreating from Ishu. Her abrupt exit suggests she's not just angry but hurt and confused.
Aisling reveals her transactional view of friendship. She's friendly only when she wants something, and her heterophobia joke shows a casual, unexamined homophobia that she treats as harmless.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Ambition vs. integrity: Ishu's decision to let Aisling cheat is the chapter's central moral test. She weighs her values against her Head Girl ambitions and chooses ambition, telling herself the ends justify the means.
Social climbing: Ishu's rationalization is built on the idea that association with Aisling and Deirdre will change how people treat her. She's already noticed classmates glancing at her differently since she started dating Hani.
Communication breakdown: The thumbs-up emoji, the unreturned calls, the avoided eye contact—every interaction in this chapter is marked by Hani's withdrawal and Ishu's inability to bridge the gap.
The guide as relationship artifact: Ishu calls the guide a history of them. Its silence—Hani's failure to update it—becomes a symbol of the relationship's stalled state.
Control and self-reliance: Ishu's mantra about keeping control of what she can control reflects her coping mechanism. When her relationship with Hani feels out of control, she doubles down on academics.
Homophobia: Aisling's heterophobia joke and Hani's sharp rebuttal highlight how casually homophobia can be disguised as humor, and how important it is to name it.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter marks a turning point in Ishu's moral arc. Her decision to let Aisling cheat is a deliberate compromise of her integrity, and the narrative doesn't let her off the hook—she knows exactly what she's doing and why. It also escalates the central conflict: Hani's withdrawal creates a communication breakdown that Ishu can't fix alone, and the chapter ends with Ishu chasing after Hani, setting up a confrontation that could change everything. Hani's defense of LGBTQ+ language also reinforces her character's moral core, even as she struggles with her own feelings.
Study Questions
1. Why does Ishu let Aisling cheat on the biology test, and what does this decision reveal about her character?
Ishu lets Aisling cheat because she believes the association will help her social standing and Head Girl campaign. She rationalizes that Aisling is only hurting herself and that Ishu is doing what's needed for the school. This reveals that Ishu is willing to compromise her integrity when she feels her goals are at stake, and it shows how desperate she is for acceptance after years of being an outsider.
2. How does Hani's behavior in this chapter reflect her emotional state?
Hani's silence—the thumbs-up emoji, the avoided eye contact, the seating arrangement that prevents Ishu from sitting beside her—shows she's emotionally withdrawn and likely hurt by whatever happened on the triple date. Yet her snap at Aisling about heterophobia shows she's still willing to stand up against injustice. Her abrupt exit, claiming Irish homework, suggests she's not ready to confront Ishu directly.
3. What role does the guide play in this chapter, and what does its silence symbolize?
Ishu describes the guide as a history of them. Hani's failure to update it after the triple date symbolizes the relationship's stalled state. The guide, which was once a collaborative project, has become a record of what's been lost—a reminder of the connection that's now fraying.
Navigation
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Next Chapter: Chapter 27