Chapter summaries The Score Elle Kennedy

The Score Chapter 23 Summary: Trust, Privilege, and Boundaries

⚠️ 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

Allie Hayes accompanies Dean Di Laurentis to a New York nightclub to meet his friend Beau Maxwell and his sister Joanna. The evening reveals Dean’s discomfort with unearned privilege when he recounts a past academic scandal involving a TA he slept with. Allie’s high school friend Dillon arrives with her boyfriend Roy, and the group dances together using Dean’s “STAG” method (Stand There And Grind). After Beau becomes dangerously drunk, Dean takes him to his penthouse at Heyward Plaza. Dean surprises Allie by having the second season of her obscure French soap opera Solange delivered to the suite. While watching the show, Dean becomes intimate with Allie on the couch, but they are discovered by a now-awake Beau, who jokingly proposes a threesome. Allie firmly declines, and Dean supports her decision.

Key Events

  • Allie and Dean arrive at the club and meet Beau and Joanna; they skip the line using Dean’s connections.
  • Dean tells the story of Sabrina, the TA who gave him unearned grades; he reveals his anger at not being allowed to fail the course.
  • Allie’s friend Dillon and her boyfriend Roy join the group; Roy looks like Samuel L. Jackson.
  • The group dances; Dean demonstrates the “STAG” method.
  • Beau gets very drunk; Dean decides to take him to the penthouse instead of his parents’ strict home.
  • Dean surprises Allie with season two of the French soap opera Solange.
  • While Beau sleeps in the armchair, Dean and Allie become increasingly intimate on the couch.
  • Beau wakes up and asks for a threesome; Allie refuses, and Dean backs her up.

Character Development

Allie Hayes: For the first time, Allie feels no jealousy when hearing about Dean’s past hookups. She realizes she has developed genuine trust in him. She also shows self-awareness and confidence when setting firm boundaries with Beau, prioritizing her own comfort and future reputation.

Dean Di Laurentis: Dean reveals a wounded pride beneath his carefree exterior. He resents being given grades he didn’t earn and argues with the professor to accept a failing grade. His thoughtful gesture of procuring the French show demonstrates that he listens to Allie’s interests and wants to invest in their time together. His unwavering support when she rejects the threesome shows respect for her autonomy.

Beau Maxwell: Though mostly comic relief, Beau’s drunkenness and the decision to keep him away from strict parents hints at a more complex family life. His joking threesome proposal serves as a test of Allie and Dean’s relationship boundaries.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Trust over jealousy: Allie’s lack of reaction to Dean’s past contrasts with her earlier jealousy of Penelope. This signals emotional growth and a deeper connection.

Privilege and merit: The Sabrina story exposes the tension between inherited advantage and the desire to earn one’s achievements. Dean’s frustration mirrors a broader critique of how wealth and connections distort fairness.

Boundaries and communication: Allie’s clear “no” to the threesome, followed by Dean’s immediate acceptance, models healthy relationship communication. The scene reinforces that consent and respect are non-negotiable.

The “STAG” dance philosophy: A humorous motif that Dean lives by—Stand There And Grind—represents his approach to life: simple, confident, and focused on enjoyment.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 23 deepens Allie and Dean’s relationship by moving beyond physical attraction into emotional trust and vulnerability. Dean’s concession of his academic scandal humanizes him, showing that his wealth and charm come with internal conflict. The arrival of Allie’s friend Dillon contextualizes her life beyond Briar University, and the nightclub setting allows Dean to publicly claim Allie in his world. The conclusion, with Allie asserting boundaries and Dean supporting her, cements the partnership dynamic that will carry into the story’s climax.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Allie feel no jealousy when Dean discusses his past hookup with Sabrina?
    Allie realizes that the incident is a memory, not a present threat. The trust she has built with Dean over recent weeks makes her feel secure, unlike the night she saw Penelope touching him at Malone’s.

  2. What does the Sabrina story reveal about Dean’s character?
    It shows that Dean resents being handed unearned advantages. He wanted to fail the course to maintain his integrity, but the professor refused because of his father’s connections. Dean still carries shame about the outcome, proving he cares about fairness and earning his own way.

  3. How does Allie handle Beau’s threesome request, and what does it say about her?
    Allie responds with a firm, humorous refusal, explaining that future media headlines would portray her as a “college threesome queen.” This shows she is confident, values her future reputation, and refuses to be pressured into anything she does not want. Dean immediately supports her decision.

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