Chapter 28 Summary, Analysis, and Key Takeaways

⚠️ 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 Sariyah FaceTiming Fitz that evening, desperate to talk to someone other than Jude or Malcolm. She tells him a body has been found and it might be Deja's. Fitz is shaken, but Sariyah admits she doesn't believe it's her friend—she's clinging to the theory that Deja ran away to a secret boyfriend, even though the blood and pepper spray don't fit that narrative.

Fitz warns Sariyah that Jed can't be trusted. He reveals that Jed cheated on his sister Ella, and that Ella found flirty Facebook messages between Jed and a girl named Willa or Willow. Fitz also mentions that Jed has a temper and had been trying to sabotage Fitz's relationship with Crystelle for years.

While still on the call, Sariyah checks Jed's Instagram and confirms all photos of him and Ella have been deleted—including the one Deja had commented on. She then searches Facebook for Jedidiah Jones and sends him a friend request.

After hanging up, Sariyah logs into Malcolm's student account, which he gives her access to for class notes. She finds a draft email addressed to Deja, written three days earlier. The message is short: