Chapter 7: Larissa – Summary 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

Lexi picks Larissa up for their shift at Donna’s Café. They chat about money troubles; Lexi shares her side hustles involving sugar daddies and selling dirty socks. Larissa hints at her own financial strain, including donating plasma. The conversation shifts to Larissa’s boyfriend Mike, and Lexi expresses blunt doubts about the relationship, sensing that Larissa is not truly into it. Larissa defends Mike, insisting she is happy with a calm, rational connection. Lexi then turns the topic to Chris, Mike’s best friend, and the two play a game of “Smash or Pass.” Larissa insists passing is the morally correct answer, but Lexi accuses her of hiding her real feelings. Chris texts Larissa a picture of Woofarine with a dead frog, prompting Larissa to laugh and text back. When they arrive at work, Larissa checks Chris’s private Instagram, seeing endless dog photos and a black-and-white post announcing his mother’s death. She feels a pang of sympathy for his solitude. Inside the café, Janessa gives them a cold greeting, and the chapter ends with Larissa and Lexi remembering childhood poverty and dreaming of a day when they can donate to food banks instead of needing them.

Key Events

• Lexi picks Larissa up for work at 5:45 a.m., and they discuss financial struggles.
• Lexi reveals her various side hustles: sugar daddies, selling dirty socks, and commenting on exes’ social media for money.
• Larissa admits she donates plasma to make extra cash and is looking for other options.
• Lexi bluntly tells Larissa she thinks she should dump Mike because she senses Larissa’s lack of passion.
• Larissa defends her relationship, saying she values rational, safe love rather than chaotic, “feral” attraction.
• Lexi playfully probes Larissa about Chris, and they debate “Smash or Pass.”
• Chris texts Larissa a photo of Woofarine with a dead frog, and they exchange lighthearted messages.
• Larissa finds Chris’s private Instagram, sees his late mother’s memorial post, and discovers his parents are both deceased.
• At the café, Janessa acts coldly toward them; Larissa and Lexi reminisce about childhood poverty and their hopes for a better future.

Character Development

Larissa reveals her resilience and practical desperation. She works multiple jobs and donates plasma to support her mother’s medical bills, yet she hides her financial strain behind humor. She insists her relationship with Mike is healthy because it is stable, but Lexi’s observations and her own texting with Chris hint at suppressed attraction. Larissa’s empathy for Chris’s grief shows her compassionate side, as she refrains from liking his memorial post to avoid intruding.

Lexi stands out as a pragmatic, unfiltered friend. She openly discusses unconventional money-making methods and calls out Larissa’s emotional disconnect with Mike. Her “empath” claims and focus on energy give her an intuitive edge. Lexi’s own past with sugar daddies and sock sales reveals her resourcefulness.

Chris, though off-page, is developed through his texts and Instagram. He treats Woofarine like a child, takes many photos, and has a public grief from losing both parents. His chaotic bookshelf and collection of book quotes suggest a romantic, intellectual side that appeals to Larissa.

Mike remains a background figure, described by Larissa as polite, respectful, and predictable. His sister Janessa’s cold demeanor hints at a family dynamic that may complicate Larissa’s relationship.

Janessa is introduced as Mike’s sister and Larissa’s coworker, clearly annoyed and unapproachable. She is stingy with the restaurant’s food, enforcing rules that deny staff leftover meals.

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

Financial strain and class consciousness dominate the chapter. Larissa and Lexi bond over their memories of food stamps, powdered milk, and expired canned goods. The motif of cheap substitute foods—Vienna sausages, cherry Kool-Aid on cereal—emphasizes the long shadow of poverty. The chapter’s title “Larissa” puts her economic reality front and center.

The conflict between rational love and reckless passion emerges through Lexi’s critique of Larissa’s relationship. Larissa consciously chooses “rationally in like” over the “feral” attraction she saw ruin her mother. This sets up a tension between safety and genuine feeling, with Chris representing the latter.

Side hustles and the commodification of intimacy appear through Lexi’s sugar daddy arrangements and sock selling. These transactions blur the line between personal and financial survival. Larissa’s plasma donation—selling part of her body—mirrors this theme.

Grief and loneliness surface via Chris’s Instagram post. His loss of both parents makes him a sympathetic figure. Larissa’s hesitation to like the post shows her respect for private sorrow.

The playful game of “Smash or Pass” acts as a covert confession. Larissa’s refusal to engage reveals more than a quick “pass” would have; it signals her subconscious interest in Chris.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 7 deepens Larissa’s character beyond the love triangle. It grounds her in real economic hardship, making her choices—financial and romantic—motivated by necessity. Lexi’s blunt advice plants the first seed of doubt about Mike, foreshadowing a shift in Larissa’s feelings. The chapter also builds the emotional connection between Larissa and Chris through their shared care for Woofarine and their private social-media glimpse into his past. The final scene at the café reinforces the class divide between Larissa and Mike’s family (represented by Janessa). This chapter sets the stage for Larissa to confront whether she truly wants safety or a love worth toppling empires over.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Larissa react so strongly to Lexi’s “Smash or Pass” game about Chris?
Larissa insists the game is disrespectful because Chris is Mike’s best friend. Her prolonged argument suggests she is trying to convince herself she feels nothing. Lexi correctly interprets this as a tell: a genuine “pass” would be quick and dismissive. Larissa’s defense mechanism hides her underlying attraction.

2. What does Larissa’s hesitation to like Chris’s memorial post reveal about her character?
She refrains because she does not want to intrude on his grief with a notification. This shows emotional intelligence and sensitivity. It also indicates that she already cares enough about Chris’s feelings to be cautious, revealing a deeper investment than she admits.

3. How does the conversation about childhood poverty at the end of the chapter connect to Larissa’s relationship with Mike?
Larissa and Lexi share stories of food insecurity, which contrasts with Mike’s comfortable life in a guesthouse with nice furniture (likely chosen by his mother). This economic gap is one reason Larissa may feel she does not fully belong in Mike’s world. Her dream of one day donating to food banks underscores her desire for security and self-sufficiency—values that Mike’s stability provides, but which may not fulfill her emotionally.

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