Chapter 4 Summary, Analysis, and Study Notes

⚠️ 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 chaos. A fire has broken out at the Zeta Kappa house during a party on Greek Row, and partygoers stream into the street. Barrett searches for Lucie and Miles but can't find them. A smoke alarm shrieks, and someone cries that she can't find her sister. Flames advance up the side of the house.

Barrett tries to help, yelling that alcohol makes the fire worse when partiers attempt to douse it with drinks. She searches for bottled water but is interrupted when a girl points at her and accuses her of knocking over the torch. Barrett protests that it was an accident, but the crowd tightens around her, preventing escape. She spots Miles nearby, calmly sipping from a red cup and observing rather than helping.

A tall guy in a business-school shirt demands to know who she is, and the crowd murmurs that no one knows her. Barrett feels the sting of being an outsider. Then Lucie pushes to the front and publicly identifies her: