Chapter 13 Summary: Some Light Property Destruction, as a Treat

⚠️ 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 in the aftermath of Riley's team winning capture the flag. For the first time in weeks, Riley feels genuinely light—she has forgotten about her anger and even feels a flicker of pride in her athletic effort. Ben teases her about her past faking bronchitis to avoid running the mile, and Riley realizes she left Delaney's baseball cap at the tower. She insists on retrieving it alone, telling Julia to save her a seat.

As Riley walks back through the woods, she reflects on Pleasant Hills—not the town it became, but the place it had the potential to be. When she reaches the tower, she hears someone crying. Peering around the side, she finds Amanda perched on the steps, sobbing. Riley tries to leave, but a snapped twig gives her away.

Amanda tries to dismiss her, but Riley refuses to back down. She needles Amanda with sarcastic guesses about what's wrong—Jeremy, a failing class, a canceled nail appointment—until Amanda finally snaps and confesses: she did not get into Indiana's dance program. She got into the school itself, but was rejected from the dance program. She has been lying to everyone, including Greer.

Amanda explains that dance is the only thing that has ever come easily to her, and that her parents agreed to pay for IU specifically. She feels like a failure, especially since her father has a building named after him on campus. She also admits she misses Hannah. Riley is furious at this admission, telling Amanda that Hannah trusted her and needed her, and that Riley cannot do everything alone.

Amanda reveals that she wishes she had stopped caring, because it would be easier—but she cannot. When Riley suggests Amanda is angry, Amanda flinches and insists anger is a sin, citing Pastor Young's morning sermon. Riley, now feeling her own rage surge, climbs the tower and invites Amanda to follow.

On the balcony, Riley confesses her own anger: at Principal Rider for forcing her to come to camp, at Pastor Young for making Hannah a target, at everyone who let it happen, and at Amanda and Greer for doing his dirty work. She begins hurling glass ornaments from the tower, shouting each grievance as she throws.

Amanda hesitates, then joins in. They take turns smashing ornaments and shouting their frustrations—Amanda is angry at her parents for assuming they know what she wants, at losing capture the flag, and at the pressure she feels. Riley admits she hates Pastor Young, though she tries to take it back. Amanda reveals that the day Pastor Young spoke to Hannah felt like a warning—like he could do that to anyone at any time, and no one wanted to be next. She insists that is not an excuse, but it explains her fear.

Amanda finally screams that she is sorry, smashing her last ornament on the ground. Riley, moved by Amanda's genuine remorse, says the apology is not hers to accept—it belongs to Hannah. Riley then apologizes for hitting Amanda, and Amanda apologizes for making Riley feel she had to. A tentative truce forms between them, built on broken glass and shouted secrets. They walk to lunch together, and Riley thinks Principal Rider would probably give her an A for the destruction.

Key Events

• Riley's team wins capture the flag, and she feels lighter than she has in weeks.

• Riley returns alone to the tower to retrieve Delaney's hat and finds Amanda crying.

• Amanda confesses she lied about getting into Indiana's dance program; she was rejected.

• Amanda admits she misses Hannah and feels like she is not good at anything else.

• Riley and Amanda smash glass ornaments from the tower, shouting their grievances.

• Amanda reveals her fear of being Pastor Young's next target.

• Amanda apologizes for her treatment of Hannah; Riley apologizes for hitting her.

• The two reach a tentative truce and walk to lunch together.

Character Development

Riley undergoes significant growth in this chapter. She begins by feeling proud of herself for playing a sport, a small but meaningful shift from her usual self-deprecation. More importantly, she learns to channel her anger constructively rather than letting it fester. Her decision to invite Amanda to smash ornaments—and to confess her own rage—shows a willingness to be vulnerable. Her apology for hitting Amanda is a major step, as it acknowledges her own wrongdoing rather than only blaming others.

Amanda is revealed to be far more complex than Riley assumed. Her confession about the dance program exposes her deep insecurity and the weight of parental expectations. Her admission that she misses Hannah—and that she wishes she had stopped caring because it would be easier—humanizes her. Her fear of Pastor Young, framed as a warning that could happen to anyone, explains her behavior without excusing it. Her apology, though directed at Riley, is really aimed at Hannah, and she accepts that Riley cannot accept it on Hannah's behalf.

The chapter also deepens the reader's understanding of Pastor Young as a figure of fear and control. Both Greer (in a previous chapter) and Amanda describe feeling they had no choice but to follow him, suggesting a pattern of intimidation that extends beyond Hannah.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Anger as sin vs. anger as release. Pastor Young preaches that anger is a sin, and Amanda initially resists naming her own anger because of this teaching. Riley, however, discovers that expressing anger—shouting it aloud and physically releasing it—brings relief. The chapter suggests that suppressed anger is more dangerous than expressed anger.

Catharsis through destruction. The glass ornaments serve as a physical outlet for emotional pain. Each ornament smashed represents a grievance named and released. The act is destructive, but it is also healing, allowing both girls to speak truths they have been hiding.

Confession and forgiveness. The chapter mirrors religious confession, but here the confession happens between two people rather than to a pastor. Riley and Amanda confess their sins to each other—Amanda's betrayal of Hannah, Riley's violence—and receive a form of absolution through apology and acceptance.

Fear of being targeted. Amanda's explanation that Pastor Young's treatment of Hannah felt like a warning reveals how fear silences people. The motif of being