Chapter 34 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 Hani discovering a text from Ishu asking to come over. Hani had made plans with Dee and Aisling, but she assumes Ishu's request is important since Ishu left school after her interview without a word. Hani texts back that she will be home in twenty minutes and tells Dee and Aisling she has to leave.
Aisling then reveals she reported Ishu to Principal Gallagher for cheating off her biology test. Aisling claims Ishu copied from her test and says she talked to Ishu about it before going to the principal. Hani defends Ishu, insisting she does not cheat, and questions why Aisling did not report the incident when it happened. Aisling and Dee push back, with Dee accusing Ishu of playing Hani and taking advantage of her popularity and her sexuality. Hani, overwhelmed and confused, leaves, saying she will see them tomorrow.
At home, Hani finds Ishu sitting on the ground by the front door, her eyes puffy and red from crying. They go up to Hani's room. Ishu reveals her sister is getting married but her family will not attend the wedding because her parents are estranged from the situation. Then Ishu confirms she knows Aisling told Hani about the accusation. Ishu explains the truth: Aisling cheated off her test, not the other way around. Aisling had tried before, but Ishu never let her. This time, Ishu allowed it because she wanted to be Head Girl.
Ishu says Principal Gallagher believes Aisling, and even her parents believe the accusation. She says nobody likes her, so nobody will believe her. Ishu frames the situation as a trap, asking who would believe a brown immigrant girl when Aisling is the one making the accusation. Hani says she does not think Aisling is like that, calling the idea devious. Ishu reminds Hani of how Aisling and Dee punished her at the party for being visibly different, and asks whether Aisling has not been making Hani feel bad about her bisexuality. Hani says she has not.
Ishu then says she wishes she had never accepted Hani's offer to fake date, claiming she would not be in this mess otherwise. Hani pushes back, saying Ishu agreed because she wanted to be Head Girl and was not forced. Ishu says they are not right for each other, that they are two very different people. Hani agrees. Ishu gathers her things and leaves, pausing at the door to tell Hani she deserves better friends than Aisling and Deirdre—friends she does not have to hide herself from. After Ishu leaves, Hani cries.
Key Events
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Aisling reveals she reported Ishu to Principal Gallagher for cheating.
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Hani defends Ishu but is met with resistance from Aisling and Dee.
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Ishu waits outside Hani's house, visibly upset.
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Ishu reveals her sister's wedding and her family's estrangement.
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Ishu explains the truth: Aisling cheated off her, and Ishu allowed it for Head Girl ambitions.
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Ishu frames the accusation as rooted in prejudice against a brown immigrant girl.
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Ishu and Hani argue about blame for the fake dating arrangement.
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Ishu ends the relationship, saying they are not right for each other.
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Ishu leaves with a parting warning about Hani's friends.
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Hani cries alone.
Character Development
Hani faces a crisis of trust. She defends Ishu to Aisling and Dee, but when Ishu asks her to believe the accusation is rooted in prejudice, Hani hesitates. Her inability to fully commit to believing Ishu reveals her internal conflict between loyalty to her longtime friends and her growing connection to Ishu.
Ishu shows vulnerability for the first time, crying in front of Hani. She articulates the systemic prejudice she faces as a brown immigrant girl and takes a stand by ending the relationship, demonstrating self-respect despite her pain. Her confession about allowing Aisling to cheat complicates her moral position, showing she is not purely a victim.
Aisling reveals a manipulative side, reporting Ishu while claiming to be a friend. Her behavior contradicts her earlier friendliness, and Dee reinforces her narrative by accusing Ishu of manipulation.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Racism and prejudice are central here. Ishu's framing of the accusation as a trap for a brown immigrant girl highlights how systemic bias shapes who is believed.
Betrayal by friends is evident in Aisling's report to the principal and in Dee's support of the accusation.
Trust and doubt drive the chapter, as Hani struggles to decide who to believe.
Fake dating consequences come to a head, as the arrangement collapses under the weight of the accusation.
Social isolation is felt by Ishu, who believes nobody likes or believes her.
Family estrangement appears in Ishu's mention of her sister's wedding and her family's absence.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a turning point in the novel. The fake dating arrangement collapses under the weight of the cheating accusation, and Ishu's confession about allowing Aisling to cheat complicates her moral position. Her framing of the accusation as prejudice highlights the novel's social commentary on race and belonging. The breakup sets up the final chapters, leaving Hani to reckon with her choices and her friendships.
Study Questions and Answers
- Why does Ishu allow Aisling to cheat off her test, and what does this reveal about her character?
Ishu allows Aisling to cheat because she wants to be Head Girl and believes the arrangement will help her achieve that goal. This reveals her ambition and her willingness to compromise her integrity for a goal she has long pursued, but it also shows her vulnerability—she is so desperate for recognition that she makes a decision she later regrets.
- How does Hani's response to Ishu's explanation reflect her internal conflict?
Hani defends Ishu to Aisling and Dee, but when Ishu asks her to believe the accusation is rooted in prejudice, Hani hesitates and says she does not know what to believe. This reflects her struggle between loyalty to her longtime friends and her growing trust in Ishu. Her inability to fully commit to Ishu's side shows she is not yet ready to question her friends' motives.
- What role does prejudice play in Ishu's interpretation of the accusation?
Ishu argues that the accusation is a trap designed to take her down a peg, and she asks who would believe a brown immigrant girl when Aisling is the accuser. This framing suggests that Ishu sees the cheating accusation as part of a larger pattern of exclusion and bias, where her identity makes her an easy target.
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