Chapter 27 Summary and Analysis: Alex's Point of View

⚠️ 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 Alex alone in the bathroom, fussing over her reflection—running fingers through her hair, checking her face from every angle, and bouncing her leg nervously. She's startled to realize she's actually nervous about a simple roller-skating outing. A text from Molly interrupts her thoughts: Molly is waiting outside.

Alex grabs her wallet and keys, slips into her faded denim jacket, and heads downstairs. When she pushes open the door, she stops short. Molly is leaning against her car wearing the high-waisted jeans and white T-shirt they bought together, with a black-and-yellow checkered flannel tied around her waist. Her long hair catches the breeze, and she's wearing mascara and eyeliner for what Alex realizes is the first time she's ever seen Molly in makeup. Alex blurts out that Molly looks really pretty, then immediately course-corrects, adding that Cora will think so too. The two share an awkward, tongue-tied moment before getting into the car.

On the drive through Pittsburgh at sunset, they discuss conversation topics for Molly's upcoming date with Cora. Molly plans to ask about bio class and rugby, and Alex advises her to lean into asking follow-up questions—people love feeling heard, she explains. Molly takes the advice in.

At the rink, they buy tickets and rent skates. Alex is immediately overwhelmed: the smell of old carpet and greasy food, the dim lights, the disco ball. She jokes about the car-door move and suggests Molly should offer to pay for Cora on the real date, clarifying that this outing isn't a real date. When they reach for their skates at the same time, their arms brush.

Getting the skates on is easy; actually skating is not. Alex clutches the wall, legs flailing in opposite directions, while Molly skates backward in small circles, encouraging her to just go for it. Alex wipes out hard, landing flat on the floor. Molly skates over, holds out her hand, and pulls Alex up—but doesn't let go. She guides Alex around the rink, holding her hands, their faces inches apart. Alex feels her stomach flip and her heart hammer, but she can't tell if it's fear of falling or something about Molly. Natalie's face flashes in her mind, and Alex pulls her hands away, insisting she's got it.

They spend the next hour circling the rink, Molly repeatedly steadying Alex as she flails, both of them dissolving into laughter. When a limbo game is announced over the loudspeaker, Molly pulls Alex into line despite Alex's protests. Alex trips on her own skates and conks her head on the wooden bar, and the two of them absolutely lose it laughing, joined by the whole crowd.

They leave the rink, and Molly gently touches the bump forming on Alex's forehead, offering to get ice. Alex declines, but Molly goes anyway, joking about protecting Alex's "moneymaker." As Alex watches her go, her phone buzzes with a text from Tonya: she just saw Tommy leaving Alex's mom's place. The chapter ends with Alex's shock—"Shit."

Key Events

Alex nervously prepares for the roller-skating outing and is caught off guard by Molly's appearance and new makeup.
Alex compliments Molly, then deflects by attributing the compliment to what Cora will think.
On the drive, they rehearse conversation strategies for Molly's date with Cora.
Alex falls repeatedly at the rink; Molly holds her hands and guides her around the floor.
Alex feels an unexpected surge of emotion toward Molly but pulls away, thinking of Natalie.
During the limbo game, Alex trips and hits her head on the bar; they both laugh uncontrollably.
Molly gently touches Alex's bump and insists on getting ice.
Tonya texts that Tommy was seen leaving Alex's mom's place, ending the chapter on a note of family trouble.

Character Development

Alex shows a rare, unguarded side in this chapter. She's nervous, clumsy, and physically vulnerable in a way she rarely allows herself to be. Her instinct to deflect—turning her compliment to Molly into a comment about Cora—reveals how uncomfortable she is with her own feelings. The moment she pulls her hands away from Molly, with Natalie's face flashing in her mind, shows the guilt and emotional walls she's still carrying from her past relationship. Her internal insistence that "everything is fine" and that she's just a good teacher reads as denial.

Molly emerges as confident, caring, and surprisingly tender. She skates backward with ease, steadies Alex again and again, and laughs with her rather than at her. Her gentle touch on Alex's forehead and her insistence on getting ice show a nurturing side that Alex admits she underestimated. The role reversal is notable: Molly, the one being coached for a date, ends up being the one offering care and support.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Practice dating and role reversal: The outing is framed as a rehearsal for Molly's date with Cora, but the dynamic keeps slipping—Molly becomes the teacher, and Alex becomes the one being cared for.
Denial of romantic feelings: Alex repeatedly redirects her own emotions toward Cora and Natalie, refusing to acknowledge what she feels for Molly.
Physical vulnerability and trust: Alex's inability to skate forces her to rely on Molly, creating a literal and emotional dependence.
Emotional walls: Alex's habit of pulling away—physically and emotionally—is on full display, especially when she yanks her hands free after feeling her heart hammer.
Guilt over past relationship: Natalie's face flashing before Alex's eyes signals unresolved feelings and guilt that block her from new connections.
Care and tenderness: Molly's gentle touch and her insistence on getting ice contrast with Alex's usual guardedness.
Family complications: The closing text about Tommy at Alex's mom's place introduces a new source of tension, hinting at trouble Alex will have to face.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a turning point in Alex's emotional arc. The roller-skating outing, framed as harmless practice for Molly's date with Cora, becomes the setting where Alex's feelings for Molly become impossible to ignore. The physical closeness, the laughter, and Molly's tenderness all chip away at Alex's defenses, even as she keeps redirecting her attention to Cora and Natalie. The chapter also plants the seeds of a new conflict: the text from Tonya about Tommy at Alex's mom's place suggests family trouble that will likely demand Alex's attention soon. The contrast between the warm, funny scenes at the rink and the cold shock of that final text makes the ending land with real weight.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Alex pull her hands away from Molly during their skate around the rink?

Alex feels her heart hammer and her stomach flip as Molly holds her hands and guides her around the rink. She can't tell if the feeling is fear of falling or something about Molly herself, and she doesn't want to find out. Natalie's face flashes in her mind, and Alex pulls away, insisting she's got it. This shows that Alex is still emotionally tied to her past relationship and is actively denying any new romantic feelings, even as they surface.

2. What does the roller-skating setting reveal about Alex's character?

The rink strips away Alex's usual confidence. She's clumsy, falls hard, and has to rely on Molly for support, which is a role reversal from their usual dynamic where Alex is the one coaching Molly. Her physical vulnerability mirrors her emotional vulnerability: just as she can't control her skates, she can't control the feelings Molly stirs in her. The setting forces Alex into a position of dependence and trust, which she resists even as she enjoys it.

3. How does the final text from Tonya complicate the chapter's ending?

After a chapter full of warmth, laughter, and growing closeness between Alex and Molly, Tonya's text—that Tommy was seen leaving Alex's mom's place—abruptly shifts the tone. It introduces a family complication that Alex will likely have to confront, pulling her attention away from the rink and from Molly. The text also hints at unresolved issues in Alex's family life that may connect to her guardedness and her difficulty trusting people.