Summary
Part Two: Hide and Seek, Chapter 16
Bronwyn watches with her family as a national news show, Mikhail Powers Investigates, does a special on the four accused teens, which calls them “the Bayview Four.” A lawyer from Until Proven, Eli Kleinfelter, notes that the teens’ lawyers should be looking into other explanations.
Meanwhile, Maeve discovers that Simon was active on 4chan threads that praised school shooters.
Bronwyn and Nate chat on the phone, and she recommends he reach out to Until Proven. They express interest in hanging out in person.
The same day, Cooper breaks up with Keely. A recent Tumblr post implies that there are other possible motivations for the “Bayview Four” to have killed. He feels compelled to end things in case something comes out. When he does it, Keely admits that she hooked up with Nate as she started dating Cooper. Keely notes that he seems very unaffected.
Part Two: Hide and Seek, Chapter 17 Summary
On Monday, October 15, Addy observes that she and Bronwyn are getting worse treatment than the boys. They now sit at lunch with Kate, Yumiko, and Janae. After lunch, she is partnered with TJ in science class, and he remarks that it’s nice to see “the real her”—someone who isn’t controlled by Jake. After school, Jake asks Addy if she wants to “talk sometime,” and while she agrees, she chafes at his negative response to her hair.
Narration resumes that afternoon from Nate’s perspective. He and Bronwyn go to Marshall’s Peak, a known makeout spot. Bronwyn tells him she’s spoken to Eli Kleinfelter, who thinks the car accident the teens observed in the parking lot on the day of Simon’s death may have been planned.
After chatting, the two share their first kiss, but are interrupted by a text from Maeve. They drive to Nate’s house, where Maeve is supposed to pick Bronwyn up. When they arrive, there’s someone at Nate’s door—his mother, who he had said was dead.
Part Two: Hide and Seek, Chapter 18
Bronwyn wonders why Nate lied about his mother. Maeve drives her to another interview with the police. They ask her if she was aware of a post Simon wrote about how Maeve got drunk and embarrassed herself at a party shortly after beating cancer. Robin, her lawyer, states that she has no comment. However, the police know that she did comment on the post: “Fuck off and die, Simon.”
Meanwhile, Addy bikes over to Jake’s house. She tells him Bronwyn is looking for other suspects, and he accuses her of trying to “blame the victim.” He is extremely annoyed and put-off whenever she expresses an opinion that contradicts his. She asks if he’ll ever forgive her, and he tells her that she’s not who he thought she was. She realizes she doesn’t have to stay, so she leaves. Biking away, she feels free.
Finally, that same day, Cooper deals with his newfound fame. After escaping the paparazzi at the gym, he drives to see Kris, and we learn that Cooper is in fact romantically involved with another man.
Analysis
Chapters 16 and 17 bring in another theme: media bias. Mikhail Powers Investigates is a sensationalistic show that probes into the lives of everyday citizens accused of crimes, seemingly assaulting the idea that everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The four teens see their public profiles escalate, but media treatment seems to celebrate the men (even though they’re accused of a crime), while scapegoating the women and even leading to racial slurs about Bronwyn’s family. Here, it is suggested that the media, like policemen, often attack the people who already have the least power.
Likewise, the chapter returns to the motif of social media, bringing 4chan into the text. While Tumblr is a fairly neutral sharing platform, 4chan is known as the birthplace of conspiracy theories, and Simon’s prolific posting about school shooters suggests that he may have had even darker motives for bullying his classmates that yet known.
In addition, this chapter reveals several secrets, giving further characterization. Cooper’s indifference towards Keeley increasingly suggests his apathy towards their relationship, and we finally learn that he is gay. Keely likewise reveals that she cheated—with Nate—giving Nate and Cooper something in common, and a possible thread that explains why they were both framed for murder. If he has been playing "hide and seek," he is moving closer to revealing his secret.
However, at the same time, the return of Nate’s mother suggests that he perhaps more than any other character has been playing “hide and seek.” He has apparently lied about his mother’s death to his classmates, and even to the girl he is increasingly developing feelings for, Bronwyn.
