The Boyfriend Chapter 13 Summary – Tom’s Disturbing Side Emerges

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Chapter Summary

The chapter opens with Tom driving his mother’s old Chevy to a health fair at the community center. His mother accompanies him, offering unsolicited advice about driving and then about his relationship with Daisy Driscoll. Tom is embarrassed but grateful for the chance to drive. His mother reveals she knows Daisy is his girlfriend, though Tom himself is unsure of the label. The drive is a brief escape from the tension at home: the night before, Tom heard his parents fighting, his father shouting and his mother crying, followed by a loud crash. He checked on his mother, who pretended not to be crying, and he saw no bruises on her face but is uncertain about the rest of her body.

At the health fair, Tom is met by Alison, Daisy’s friend, who greets him with her usual disdain. Alison asks about Slug and then notices a missing-person flyer for Brandi Healey, a classmate who disappeared months earlier. She points out that Tom used to tutor Brandi in math. Tom feels a chill but is interrupted by Daisy’s arrival. Daisy warmly hugs both Alison and Tom, then gives Tom a longer embrace. She assigns Alison to blood pressure checks and takes Tom to do diabetic screenings.

Daisy introduces Tom as her boyfriend to the volunteer coordinator, and Tom is thrilled. She then shows him how to use a lancet device to draw blood for glucose testing. Despite lying about his age (he’s under eighteen and minors aren’t supposed to perform the procedure), Tom is eager to learn. Daisy offers to let him practice on her finger. Tom’s hands shake as he loads the lancet, but he successfully pricks her finger and squeezes out a drop of blood. As he watches the red droplet grow, his mind drifts into dark territory: he imagines how easy it would be to kill Daisy, how her blood would drain, her body would stiffen in rigor mortis. Daisy notices his pale face and asks if he’s okay. He lies, saying it’s just jitters. She questions whether he is comfortable at the station, but he insists he is. The chapter ends with Tom wondering if Daisy would still believe in him if she knew the thoughts going through his head.

Key Events

Tom drives his mother’s car to the health fair; his mother mentions Daisy as his girlfriend.
Tom recalls the previous night’s domestic violence at home (parents fighting, his mother crying).
Alison greets Tom coldly and brings up the missing Brandi Healey, noting that Tom tutored her.
Daisy arrives, calls Tom her boyfriend, and assigns him to diabetic screening.
Tom practices drawing blood from Daisy’s finger.
Tom experiences a violent fantasy about killing Daisy while handling her blood.
Daisy senses something is wrong but accepts Tom’s excuse.

Character Development

Tom Brewer: This chapter is a turning point for Tom’s characterization. Previously seen as a socially awkward but kind-hearted teenager, Tom’s internal monologue now reveals a disturbing capacity for violence. His reaction to Daisy’s blood—imagining her death in clinical detail—exposes a dark, obsessive side. His upbringing (witnessing his father’s abuse of his mother) may explain some of his distorted thoughts, but the chapter makes clear that Tom is not merely a victim but a potential threat. His ability to lie and hide his true feelings is also showcased.

Daisy Driscoll: Daisy remains warm, trusting, and optimistic. She explicitly claims Tom as her boyfriend, showing her commitment. She is perceptive enough to notice Tom’s unease but chooses to trust him, which increases her vulnerability.

Alison: Her suspicion of Tom is validated by the chapter’s revelations. She is the only character who seems to sense something off about Tom, even if she can’t articulate it.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Violence Beneath Normalcy: Tom’s violent fantasy erupts during a mundane health fair activity. The contrast between the altruistic setting (volunteering, helping others) and Tom’s thoughts about murder underscores the theme that danger can lurk behind a pleasant facade.

Blood as a Symbol: Blood represents life, intimacy, and vulnerability. For Tom, it triggers a clinical, detached fascination with death. The scene where he squeezes Daisy’s blood onto a test strip mirrors the control he imagines having over her life.

The Missing Girl (Brandi Healey): Brandi’s disappearance is mentioned just before Tom’s dark thoughts surface. This foreshadows Tom’s potential involvement in violence and connects the past to the present. Alison’s pointed question about Tom tutoring Brandi hints that Tom may have a pattern of targeting vulnerable girls.

Performance of Normalcy: Tom masks his true thoughts with a smile and lies about jitters. The chapter emphasizes how easily he can perform normalcy while harboring dangerous impulses.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 13 is the first clear signal to the reader that Tom is not a harmless love-struck teen but a potential predator. It recontextualizes every prior interaction with Daisy, making his obsessive attention seem sinister rather than romantic. The chapter also deepens the mystery around Brandi Healey, suggesting Tom may have been involved in her disappearance. It sets up dramatic irony for future chapters, as Daisy remains unaware of the danger she is in.

Study Questions and Answers

What does Tom’s fantasy about killing Daisy reveal about his character? Tom’s fantasy reveals a clinical detachment from empathy. He imagines her death in terms of blood volume and rigor mortis, treating her as an object to be studied rather than a person. This, combined with his ability to immediately mask his thoughts, shows he is capable of violence and duplicity.
How does the mention of Brandi Healey foreshadow later events? Brandi’s disappearance and Tom’s role as her tutor create suspicion that Tom may have harmed her. The chapter places this reference just before Tom’s violent fantasy about Daisy, linking the two girls and suggesting a pattern. This foreshadows that Daisy may face a similar fate.
Why is Daisy’s decision to call Tom her boyfriend significant? Daisy’s public labeling of Tom as her boyfriend gives him a sense of ownership and validation, feeding his obsession. It also lowers her guard, making her more vulnerable to his hidden nature. The chapter uses this moment as a trigger for Tom’s darker thoughts, showing how intimacy can be dangerous.