The Score Chapter 17 Summary & 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

Dean Di Laurentis is putting away hockey gear in the equipment room after coaching a peewee team practice. Dakota, the ten‑year‑old sister of one of the players, stays behind to chat. She asks if Dean has a girlfriend and then reveals she doesn’t know how to skate because her family could only afford lessons for her older brother, Robbie. Dean feels a pang of guilt over his own privileged upbringing. Later, Allie arrives at his house with a sore back from stress and working out. Dean runs a hot bubble bath for her, and the two share a playful, intimate conversation about past same‑sex experiences. They begin to get physical in the tub, but are interrupted by Logan bursting into the bathroom.

Key Events

Dakota admits she can’t skate and explains the family’s financial sacrifice for Robbie’s lessons.
Dean promises to find her girl skates, acknowledging a sense of gratitude and guilt about his own easy childhood.
Allie arrives at Dean’s house, frustrated with her agent Ira over an audition tape for a Fox pilot.
Dean draws a hot bubble bath to soothe Allie’s sore back and joins her in the tub.
Dean and Allie barter stories about their adolescent same‑sex encounters: Allie kissed a girlfriend; Dean kissed a male friend on a double‑date dare.
As the two become aroused and begin to touch intimately, Logan returns home unexpectedly and flings open the bathroom door.

Character Development

Dean Di Laurentis: This chapter deepens Dean’s emerging self‑awareness. His easy, comfortable reaction to Dakota’s deprivation contrasts with his earlier “Life of Dean” boast. He questions his passion for law school and realizes he has never felt the kind of buzz coaching gives him. His willingness to listen to Dakota and his immediate care for Allie’s back show a growing emotional maturity. The bath‑scene conversation about sexuality also reveals a playful, open‑minded side without shaming himself or Allie.
Allie Hayes: Allie is shown as ambitious and stressed—juggling a play, an audition tape, and a demanding agent. Her ease discussing body‑positive topics (pegging, same‑sex experiences) underscores her confident, nonjudgmental nature. She also trusts Dean enough to be vulnerable about her physical pain and her professional frustrations.
Dakota: Though a supporting character, Dakota’s brief appearance serves as a catalyst for Dean’s reflection. Her hurt tone when explaining why she never learned to skate highlights the quiet sacrifices children in less‑privileged families make.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Privilege and Guilt: Dean’s internal reaction to Dakota’s situation (“I feel like a spoiled, ungrateful brat”) directly confronts the privilege he previously took for granted. His discomfort signals the beginning of a re‑evaluation of his values.
Care and Vulnerability: Dean’s decision to run a bath for Allie—an act of service rather than a direct sexual advance—shifts their dynamic from purely physical to emotionally supportive. The bubble bath becomes a symbol of comfort and trust.
Sexual Exploration and Openness: The playful trade of stories about kissing a girl and a boy normalizes exploration without judgment. The scene challenges rigid heterosexual scripts and reinforces the idea that curiosity is healthy.
Passion vs. Obligation: Dean’s admission that law school never excited him the way coaching a drill does introduces a central tension: following a prescribed path versus discovering genuine passion.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 17 (Chapter 16 in the book) is a turning point for Dean’s character arc. Up to now, he has been portrayed as a carefree womanizer coasting on charm and family connections. Here, for the first time, he grapples with the emptiness of that life—feeling “alive” only when coaching kids, not when thinking about Harvard Law. The scene with Dakota plants the seed for a potential career shift. Additionally, the intimate bath scene advances his relationship with Allie beyond physical attraction into a space of mutual care and authentic conversation. The chapter ends on a cliffhanger (Logan’s interruption) that will drive the next scene’s comedy and conflict.

Study Questions and Answers

Why doesn’t Dakota know how to skate, and how does Dean react to this information?
Answer: Dakota’s family could only afford skating lessons for one child, so her older brother Robbie got them. Dean feels immediate guilt because he never had to make such sacrifices; he resolves to find her girl skates and teach her himself.
What does Dean do to help Allie when she arrives with a sore back, and what does this action reveal about their relationship?
Answer: Dean runs a hot bubble bath and invites Allie to soak with him. This act of care—prioritizing her comfort over immediate sex—shows that their connection is deepening beyond physical gratification into genuine nurturing.
How do Dean and Allie respond when they hear someone coming up the stairs, and what actually happens?
Answer: Dean initially dismisses the noise, but Allie becomes alert. Just as they stop moving, Logan enters the bathroom, and Allie dives naked behind the door seconds before Logan throws it open—leaving Dean exposed in the tub.