Chapter 3 Summary: Audrey

⚠️ 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 on April 16, 2023, with Audrey biking through Pittsburgh on a spring evening, searching for visual inspiration to fill the blank pages of her sketchbook for her RISD application. She's motivated partly by guilt—Mr. Montgomery recently gifted her expensive pens, and she doesn't want to let him down by giving up again.

As she rides, she spots a blond girl in a floral dress and feels a creative spark—her finger twitches against the handlebars as she imagines sketching the scene. But her distraction proves costly: a car door swings open directly in her path, and she crashes into it, face-planting against the glass and tumbling to the pavement.

The driver, Jules, apologizes profusely. She's an Asian woman with a nose ring, bleached-blond hair, and tattoos. Audrey, dazed but not seriously injured, lectures her about the Dutch reach—the technique of opening a car door with the far hand to check for cyclists. Then Charlie, Audrey's ex-boyfriend, emerges from the passenger seat and takes Jules's hand, revealing they're dating.

Audrey has a cut above her right eye and her bike is badly damaged. Despite her initial protest, she accepts a ride home. During the drive, Jules cheerfully asks if Audrey and Charlie know each other from high school, and Audrey bluntly reveals they dated. Charlie admits he no longer has her number, and Audrey, seeing him clearly for the first time since their breakup, realizes she's over him.

They drop her off at Cameron's Corner Shop, her family's store. Her mother, a former nurse, tends to the wound with an alcohol pad and a crusty Sesame Street Band-Aid. Mom asks if Audrey is okay seeing Charlie with someone else, and Audrey confirms she's surprisingly fine—she's found closure. Mom encourages her to consider dating again, mentioning prom, but Audrey deflects.

The conversation turns to Audrey's artistic future. Audrey admits the RISD deadline is two weeks away and her failed bike ride feels like a sign to give up. Her mother reassures her that she'll figure it out—whether that means reapplying, finding a new dream, or something else entirely. Mom's belief in her, combined with Mr. Montgomery's, makes Audrey feel a little better even if she doesn't fully believe in herself yet. The chapter ends with the two of them heading downstairs to steal ice cream sandwiches from the shop's freezer.

Key Events

Audrey bikes around Pittsburgh seeking inspiration for her RISD sketchbook application
She crashes into a car door opened by Jules, who turns out to be Charlie's new girlfriend
Audrey sustains a cut above her right eye; her bike is badly damaged
Charlie and Jules drive Audrey home to Cameron's Corner Shop
Audrey reveals she and Charlie dated, and Charlie admits he deleted her number
Audrey realizes she's genuinely over Charlie
Her mother tends to her wound and offers encouragement about dating and art
Audrey considers abandoning her RISD application; her mother reassures her
They share ice cream sandwiches at the end of the chapter

Character Development

Audrey emerges as someone caught between ambition and fear. She's actively trying to find inspiration for her art, but the blank pages of her sketchbook weigh on her. The crash with Jules forces her into an awkward confrontation with her past, and she handles it with a mix of saltiness and grace—she's honest about having dated Charlie, but she also manages to joke about the situation. Her realization that she's over Charlie marks a genuine emotional milestone: seeing him with his ridiculous mustache and new girlfriend, she recognizes that the version of him she'd been holding onto was fictionalized.

Charlie is presented almost entirely through Audrey's eyes. He's grown a mustache since October, which Audrey and her mother both find unflattering. He seems sheepish and awkward around Audrey, unable to form complete sentences, and he's clearly moved on—he's dating Jules and visiting his hometown. His admission that he deleted Audrey's number underscores how completely he's closed that chapter.

Jules is introduced as a foil to Audrey—cool, confident, and seemingly perfect in a way that makes Audrey feel inadequate. She's apologetic about the accident, offers to pay any hospital bills, and is cheerfully oblivious to the history between Audrey and Charlie. Her cool aesthetic (nose ring, tattoos, bleached-blond hair) makes her feel like an intimidating presence in Audrey's life.

Mom serves as the emotional anchor of the chapter. A former nurse who retired to help run the family shop, she's warm, funny, and fiercely supportive. She tends to Audrey's wound with practiced care, jokes about Charlie's mustache, and delivers the chapter's central message: that Audrey will figure out her path, whether that means RISD, community college, or something entirely different. Her belief in Audrey is unwavering, even when Audrey can't believe in herself.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Creative block and artistic ambition: The chapter opens with Audrey actively searching for inspiration, and her failure to find it—culminating in the crash—mirrors her creative stagnation. The blank sketchbook and the expensive pens from Mr. Montgomery symbolize both opportunity and pressure.

Closure and moving on: Audrey's encounter with Charlie and Jules forces her to confront her feelings about their breakup. Her realization that she's over him—seeing him clearly, without the glowing filter of memories—is the chapter's emotional turning point.

Family support: Mom's unwavering belief in Audrey provides a counterweight to Audrey's self-doubt. The Cameron's Corner Shop setting reinforces the theme of family as a safety net.

Fear of failure and risk-taking: Audrey's hesitation about the RISD application stems from a fear of rejection. Her mother's encouragement challenges her to consider that failure isn't the only possible outcome.

The Dutch reach: This practical safety technique becomes a recurring motif, symbolizing the importance of looking before you leap—a lesson Audrey herself is struggling to learn.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter establishes Audrey's emotional and creative state at the start of the novel. Her artistic ambition, her fear of failure, and her recent heartbreak are all introduced here, setting up the internal conflicts that will drive her journey. The encounter with Charlie and Jules provides closure on her past relationship while also introducing a hint of attraction to Jules—the unexpected butterflies she tries not to unpack. This moment of confusion about her feelings, combined with her creative block and her mother's encouragement to take risks, positions Audrey at a crossroads. The chapter also establishes the warm, supportive family dynamic at Cameron's Corner Shop, which will likely serve as an anchor as the story unfolds.

Study Questions

1. Why does Audrey initially resist getting in the car with Charlie and Jules, and what ultimately convinces her to accept the ride?

Audrey's pride makes her want to refuse the ride—she's embarrassed by the crash and uncomfortable being around Charlie and his new girlfriend. But her dented bike and aching body beat out her pride. The front tire deflating with a dramatic hiss makes it clear she can't bike home, and she doesn't want to walk a mile and a half in her condition. Her physical limitations override her emotional discomfort.

2. What does Audrey's reaction to seeing Charlie with Jules reveal about her emotional state?

Audrey's initial reaction is a mix of shock, embarrassment, and saltiness—she bluntly tells Jules they dated, and she makes a pointed joke about texting Charlie the hospital bill. But as the encounter progresses, she realizes she's genuinely over him. Seeing him clearly, without the filter of memories, allows her to recognize that the version of Charlie she'd been holding onto was idealized. The sting of their breakup has faded to a dull and distant ache, and she feels a sense of closure. However, her unexpected butterflies around Jules complicate her feelings, suggesting she's not as emotionally settled as she'd like to think.

3. How does Audrey's mother challenge Audrey's fear of failure regarding the RISD application?

Audrey's mother directly counters Audrey's defeatist thinking. When Audrey says the failed bike ride feels like a sign to let RISD go, her mother responds with a series of possibilities: reapplying after community college, finding a new dream, or even backpacking through Europe. She reminds Audrey that she herself fell in love with the dingy little shop downstairs, proving that unexpected paths can lead to fulfillment. Her message is that Audrey doesn't need to have everything figured out right now—she just needs to believe that something good is possible. This reassurance doesn't fully convince Audrey, but it gives her enough hope to keep going.