Chapter 16: Wes — Summary, Themes, 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 with Wes, Brooks, and Gus relaxing on Gus’s front lawn when Dusty’s unmistakably loud black Ford Bronco rumbles up, Led Zeppelin blaring. Dusty explains that Wes’s dad had sent him to the old Big House, where he unexpectedly ran into Riley and Cam during what turned out to be girls’ night. Gus, who had assumed Cam had already picked up Riley, takes the news in stride, noting that Riley deserves a break. The group quickly shifts gears to their favorite pastime: cowboy joust.

Cowboy joust is a lasso-based game with simple rules—each player gets a rope, faces off against an opponent, and tries to rope the other’s legs. Points are awarded based on how cleanly the opponent goes down: one point for a successful rope without a fall, two for a stumble-and-fall, and three for a clean lasso that pulls the feet out from under the target. First team to thirty points wins. Wes and Dusty are paired against Brooks and Gus, a duo that has historically beaten them far more often than not, largely because of their relentless trash talk.

Wes faces Gus first and loses quickly, forced to chug his beer as the agreed-upon penalty. Brooks then takes on Dusty, catching Dusty’s ankle rope but recovering fast enough to wrap both of Dusty’s legs and send him down. Before Wes’s turn against Brooks, Brooks proposes a wager: if Brooks wins, Wes has to explain what’s really going on with Ada. Wes protests that nothing is going on, but Brooks—who has been through a similar situation with Emmy—doesn’t believe him. Wes reluctantly agrees.

Brooks wins using his signature move: instead of aiming for Wes’s feet, he throws his lasso into Wes’s running path and pulls it tight the moment Wes steps into it. Both men end up on the ground, but Brooks scores more points. After the match, the group settles around Gus’s fire pit, and Brooks presses Wes to talk.

Wes admits he likes Ada—a lot. He describes her as whip-smart, funny, and hardworking, and he believes she likes him too, but he senses she doesn’t want to. Brooks reveals that he caught Wes and Ada making out at the bar, which Wes explains happened before he really knew her. Wes then turns the question on Brooks: what changed between him and Emmy? Brooks answers that everything changed the day Emmy came home, and that both of them, without realizing it, began giving each other pieces of themselves—pieces they eventually wanted to keep forever.

Brooks mentions that the turning point was taking Emmy to his secret place, which sparks a comedic argument with Gus, who is genuinely offended that his best friend has a secret place he’s never been told about. Dusty cuts through the banter to offer Wes practical advice: respect Ada’s feelings if she doesn’t like him, but if she does, show her through simple gestures that she’s been on his mind. The chapter closes with Wes reflecting that Ada isn’t just on his mind—she’s in it, in every nook and cranny.

Key Events

Dusty arrives at Gus’s house and reveals he saw Riley and Cam at the old Big House during girls’ night.
The group plays cowboy joust, with Wes losing to Gus and Brooks defeating Dusty.
Brooks wins a bet against Wes, forcing Wes to open up about Ada.
Wes admits he likes Ada and believes she likes him but doesn’t want to.
Brooks reveals he caught Wes and Ada making out at the bar.
Brooks explains how his relationship with Emmy changed, citing the exchange of “pieces of themselves.”
Gus and Brooks argue over Brooks’s secret place, providing comic relief.
Dusty advises Wes to respect Ada’s boundaries while showing her he’s been thinking about her through simple gestures.

Character Development

Wes is the emotional center of this chapter. His admission that he likes Ada—and his frustration that she seems reluctant to reciprocate—shows a vulnerability he rarely displays. His question to Brooks about Emmy reveals that he’s actively seeking guidance, a sign of growth from the more guarded man we’ve seen earlier. His closing reflection, that Ada occupies every corner of his mind, underscores how deeply she’s affected him.

Brooks serves as both a rival and a mentor here. His competitive edge is on full display during the joust, but his willingness to share his own relationship history with Wes shows a softer, more generous side. His description of giving “pieces of yourself” to someone is the chapter’s most resonant piece of advice.

Gus provides both humor and a glimpse of lingering guilt. His playful outrage over Brooks’s secret place is funny, but it also hints at the unresolved tension from when Brooks and Emmy hid their relationship from him.

Dusty acts as the pragmatic voice of reason. His advice—respect her feelings, but show her you’ve been thinking about her—is simple but grounded, and it gives Wes a concrete path forward.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Brotherhood and competition: The cowboy joust is more than a game; it’s a ritual that bonds these men. The trash talk, the bets, and the physical play all reinforce their closeness, even as they compete fiercely.

Giving pieces of oneself: Brooks’s description of his relationship with Emmy—that they gradually gave each other pieces of themselves—becomes the chapter’s central metaphor for intimacy. It suggests that love isn’t a sudden revelation but a slow exchange of trust and vulnerability.

Secret places: Brooks’s secret place symbolizes the private, sacred spaces we share only with those we truly trust. Gus’s hurt reaction highlights how meaningful such a disclosure is.

Respecting boundaries: Dusty’s advice to Wes—to respect Ada’s feelings even if he wishes otherwise—reinforces a theme of consent and emotional care that runs through the book.

Simple gestures: Dusty’s suggestion to show Ada he’s been thinking about her through small, thoughtful actions points to a motif of quiet, consistent affection over grand declarations.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a turning point for Wes’s character arc. It’s the first time he openly admits his feelings for Ada, not just to himself but to his closest friends. The joust bet forces him to be honest, and Brooks’s and Dusty’s advice gives him a framework for how to proceed. The chapter also deepens the theme of brotherhood, showing how these men rely on each other for emotional support even as they rib each other mercilessly. The contrast between Brooks’s successful relationship and Wes’s uncertain one highlights the stakes: Wes wants what Brooks has, but he’s not sure how to get there.

The chapter also advances the subplot of Gus’s lingering guilt over Brooks and Emmy’s secret, setting up potential reconciliation. And Dusty’s advice—simple, practical, and respectful—plants the seed for how Wes will approach Ada in the chapters to come.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Brooks’s description of his relationship with Emmy resonate so strongly with Wes?

Brooks’s explanation—that he and Emmy gradually gave each other pieces of themselves until they realized they wanted to keep them forever—offers Wes a model for how a relationship can develop. Wes is stuck because he likes Ada but senses she’s hesitant. Brooks’s story suggests that love isn’t about a single grand gesture but about a slow, mutual exchange of trust. Wes is looking for a way to bridge the gap between his feelings and Ada’s reluctance, and Brooks’s example gives him hope that such a bridge exists.

2. What does the argument over Brooks’s secret place reveal about Gus’s character?

Gus’s genuine hurt that Brooks has a secret place he’s never shared reveals how much Gus values being included in the lives of the people he loves. It also hints at his lingering guilt over how he handled Brooks and Emmy’s relationship—he reacted with anger because he felt excluded, and that same fear of exclusion resurfaces here. The argument is played for laughs, but it underscores Gus’s emotional need for transparency and trust in his closest friendships.

3. How does Dusty’s advice shape Wes’s approach to Ada going forward?

Dusty gives Wes two clear directives: respect Ada’s feelings if she doesn’t reciprocate, and if she does, show her through simple gestures that she’s been on his mind. This advice reframes Wes’s approach from passive longing to active, thoughtful action. It also emphasizes emotional respect—Wes shouldn’t push Ada, but he can gently demonstrate his interest. Wes’s closing reflection, that Ada occupies every corner of his mind, suggests he’s already primed to follow Dusty’s advice.