Beatrice's Chapter: Key Events and Character Study

⚠️ 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 as C block lets out and Cade Langley appears at Beatrice's side in the hallway. She recognizes him as one of the boys who had been snickering at her clothes the previous week. When he introduces himself, she responds with a blunt “Ugh, why?” before she can stop herself. Cade seems taken aback but laughs it off, then invites her to sit with his group at lunch.

Beatrice's usual table is with Doff and the “misfit toys” — Mina, president of the Speculative Fiction Club, and Austen, who runs the school's gay/straight alliance. Beatrice has felt at home with them since her first lunch period. When she looks to Doff for guidance, Doff gives an enthusiastic thumbs-up, so Beatrice accepts Cade's invitation.

At the popular table, Beatrice meets Donovan, Ian, Ezra, Finn, Lila, Lily, and Julia. She observes that despite some racial diversity — Ezra is Black, Julia is Korean — the kids all seem cut from the same wealthy cloth: the girls with identical hairstyles and makeup, the boys in similar preppy clothes. Beatrice recognizes this as the school's top social tier, kids who can ruin classmates with a single Snapchat or Finstagram post.

During lunch, the conversation turns to a party at MacKenna Kelso's house where some freshmen snuck in. One girl, Sharzad, fell through a Ping-Pong table. The girls ask Beatrice about boarding school, and she explains the dress code and dorm supervision, noting that kids could get expelled for getting caught sneaking out.

When Cade asks why she left boarding school, Beatrice decides to tell the truth. She explains she was expelled partly for running an Etsy shop where she sold crochet and needle-felted crafts, making four to five hundred dollars a month. But then she adds the more serious reason: she and two friends painted the word “rapist” on a boy's door after he assaulted her friend, and the school did nothing about it.

The table goes quiet. Julia, who has a brother, becomes openly hostile, arguing that “some girl just says that he did” and the boy is guilty until proven innocent. Beatrice responds calmly that she doesn't think it's something girls lie about.

Cade changes the subject and invites Beatrice to a movie on Friday night. She accepts, though she's uncertain about his motives.

After school, Beatrice talks with Doff on the steps. Doff suggests Cade might genuinely like her as the new girl. Beatrice is skeptical — she remembers her friend Tricia from Emlen, who was assaulted by Colin Mackenzie, a boy who would get to stay while Tricia, on scholarship, would be sent home. She reflects on the “Lucky Sperm Club” — boys born on third base who think they hit a triple. Still, she acknowledges the social capital that being with Cade could provide: it would secure her position at Melville regardless of what she wears or says. She admits she doesn't know if she likes him, and Doff says it doesn't matter as long as he likes her.

Key Events

Cade Langley approaches Beatrice and invites her to sit with his group at lunch
Beatrice leaves the “misfit toys” table to join the popular crowd
She reveals her expulsion from Emlen: the Etsy shop and painting “rapist” on a boy's door
Julia reacts with hostility, defending her brother and questioning accusations
Cade invites Beatrice to a movie on Friday
Beatrice and Doff discuss Cade's possible interest and the social stakes

Character Development

Beatrice demonstrates her willingness to be honest about her past even when it's risky. She could have lied about her expulsion — she notes that a story about drinking or drugs would have impressed these kids — but she chooses truth instead. She also shows pragmatism: she recognizes the social capital Cade offers and considers whether that matters more than genuine connection. Her reflection on Tricia and Colin Mackenzie reveals the deep wound that drives her activism.

Cade presents a friendly, charming surface but seems to be performing. His “toothy Kennedy smile” is mentioned repeatedly, suggesting a practiced persona. He deflects when the conversation gets uncomfortable, changing the subject rather than engaging with Beatrice's moral stance.

Julia represents the defensive reaction of privilege — she immediately assumes accusations against boys are false, and her appeal to the other boys (“that's all it takes, these days”) reveals a worldview where girls are presumed liars.

Doff acts as a grounded friend who offers practical perspective. Her suggestion that Cade might genuinely like Beatrice, and her quip about poetry club, show her as both supportive and wry.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Social hierarchy and cliques: The chapter explicitly contrasts the “misfit toys” with the top social tier. Beatrice's movement between the two tables is a physical enactment of the novel's central question about where she belongs.

Class privilege and entitlement: The “Lucky Sperm Club” concept, attributed to Tricia, frames the boys' advantages as inherited rather than earned. Beatrice's observation that the diverse kids at the table all look alike in clothing and attitude underscores how wealth homogenizes.

Activism and moral courage: Beatrice's decision to tell the truth about her expulsion, and her calm response to Julia's hostility, demonstrate her commitment to her principles even when it costs her social standing.

Sexual assault accountability: The core conflict at the lunch table — Julia's defense of accused boys versus Beatrice's insistence that girls don't lie — sets up a central tension of the novel.

Social capital: Beatrice's calculation about what being with Cade would mean — she would belong at Melville, her position secure — shows her awareness of how social currency works.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter establishes the central social conflict of the novel. Beatrice's decision to reveal her past to the popular table sets up the tension between authenticity and fitting in that will likely drive her choices going forward. It also introduces the theme of sexual assault accountability in a direct, confrontational way, and deepens our understanding of Beatrice's character — her moral convictions, her pragmatism, and her complicated feelings about belonging. The chapter also plants the seed of a potential romance with Cade, which carries both promise and risk.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Beatrice choose to tell the truth about her expulsion rather than lie? What does this reveal about her character?

Beatrice explicitly considers lying — she notes that a story about drinking or drugs would have impressed the popular kids. But she decides she doesn't want to impress them, so she tells the truth about both the Etsy shop and the “rapist” graffiti. This reveals her commitment to authenticity over social approval, and her willingness to be judged for her convictions. It also shows she's not naive: she knows the cost of honesty but chooses it anyway.

2. How does Julia's reaction illustrate the theme of privilege and accountability?

Julia's immediate hostility — “I have a brother” — and her argument that “some girl just says that he did” reveals a worldview where accused boys are presumed innocent and accusers are presumed liars. Her appeal to the other boys (“that's all it takes, these days”) shows how privilege defends itself by casting doubt on victims. This contrasts sharply with Beatrice's insistence that girls don't lie about assault, and it foreshadows the novel's exploration of how institutions protect the powerful.

3. What does Beatrice's reflection on the “Lucky Sperm Club” reveal about her understanding of class and power?

Beatrice's reflection, drawing on Tricia's phrase, shows she understands that the boys at Emlen and Melville didn't earn their advantages — they were born into them. The “born on third base and thinks he hit a triple” formulation (from her uncles) captures this perfectly. Her memory of Colin Mackenzie — who would get to stay while Tricia, on scholarship, would be sent home — reveals that she has seen firsthand how privilege protects the guilty and punishes the vulnerable. This understanding drives her activism and her skepticism about Cade.