Chapter 23 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 at Brougham's indoor swim meet, which Darcy attends with Brooke and Ray. The venue is hot and muggy, with sunlight streaming through a wall of windows onto the pool. The trio cheers enthusiastically for Brougham's team throughout the races. Darcy reflects on how much her friendship with Ray has grown—she now genuinely loves having Ray around, and notes that Ray recently offered to confess to the school about the rigged votes, which was enough to earn Brooke's complete forgiveness (though Brooke declined the offer, satisfied that Ray meant it).

During the meet, a girl named Hadley sits down next to Darcy. Hadley reveals she was a former anonymous advice-seeker who wrote in about her ex-boyfriend who was