Summary
Part One: Simon Says, Chapter 7
After Simon’s service, Addy is approached by a police officer. Jake declines to accompany her, and Detective Laura Wheeler walks her to the station. Detective Wheeler suggests Addy has gotten “in over her head.” She reveals that the Admin Panel from About That features an unposted post revealing all four students’ implied secrets: Addy’s dalliance with TJ, Bronwyn’s cheating in chemistry class, Nate’s drug-dealing, and Cooper’s steroid use.
The Detective suggests that the four plotted together, sending Addy to the nurse’s office to remove the EpiPens. Suddenly, though, she hears her sister’s voice in her head and realizes she may not need to answer any more questions. She asserts her rights and leaves, realizing she can’t call Jake. She calls Ashton instead.
The narration switches to Cooper, who is questioned by a different detective. His pulse slows when he sees the Tumblr post, which implies that he has not been using steroids. He asks to call his parents, and his father tells him to leave—he won’t be answering any more questions without a lawyer.
Part One: Simon Says, Chapter 8 Summary
When Bronwyn is approached by officers, her parents are nearby. They are present for the detective’s questioning. Afterward, Bronwyn admits to them that she cheated, and they are deeply disappointed. They ask if she has lied about anything else, and she says “no,” although she thinks back to the reasons why Simon may dislike her. These are not disclosed to the reader, however.
Meanwhile, Nate is questioned, with Officer Lopez present. He declines to answer most of their questions. O3fficer Lopez warns him, “there are four kids involved...and every single one of them except you is backed by parents who are materially comfortable,” and that he may be the scapegoat.
Nate returns home angry, wondering if the others will blame him. He hopes Bronwyn would not. He bikes to her house, but her father Javier tells him he cannot enter.
Part One: Simon Says, Chapter 9
Chapter 9 continues to narrate Sunday’s events. Addy and Ashton go to Ashton’s apartment, where Ashton advises her sister to tell Jake the truth. Moreover, she notes that perhaps Addy cheated on purpose to escape Jake’s control. Ashton asks her estranged husband, Charlie, who has recently dropped out of law school, to find Addy a lawyer.
Ashton goes to Jake’s house and tells him the truth. He reacts badly, yelling at her and kicking her out of the house.
Analysis
Chapters 7 and 8 tell the story of police interrogation from four different perspectives, introducing the theme of the fallibility of the criminal justice system.
Cooper and Bronwyn’s families are not only supportive, but also fully aware of the legal implications of their children’s questioning. Therefore, these two teenagers experience less stress and anxiety at the prospect of questioning. In fact, Bronwyn is comfortable enough to immediately come clean to her parents despite the pain it causes them all. This is the power of a positive parent/child relationship. Cooper is not faced with the same predicament, as Simon’s accusation of steroid use is false.
Meanwhile, Addy and Nate find protection and support from other people in their lives: a sister and a probation officer, respectively. Both are led to reflect on the faulty family structures underneath them. Addy has long made Jake her whole world because of her mother’s lack of interest. Nate, meanwhile, has no one he can really rely on, although Officer Lopez helps in this context.
The criminal justice system, it is implied, is biased against those who lack the financial and educational resources to deal with its power. At the outset of this case, they have no concrete evidence against any of the four teenagers, but have settled on a case theory. In particular, this theory assumes that Addy is the most innocent, as the “princess” of the bunch, and Nate the most guilty.
Here, we see again the way that stereotypes matter. Office Lopez works within the criminal justice system, and is well aware that it might scapegoat someone like Nate.
In addition, Jake Riordan’s characterization is further developed. While Addy’s subjective perspective suggests he is generally a loving boyfriend, here, we see how he looks to others (namely Ashton): like a control freak.
