Summary
Part Two: Hide and Seek, Chapter 12
We pick up with Bronwyn's narration, and it is now Thursday. Simon’s draft About That post has been posted by the anonymous Tumblr user. When Bronwyn's sister Maeve sees the post, she becomes interested in hacking into it to see who the poster is. The four students who appear in the post are called to Principal Gupta’s office. She encourages them to talk to the administration, but they all decline—they understand that they’re now immersed in a legal process.
The four students have the opportunity to talk together for the first time in over a week. Together, they brainstorm who else could have harmed Simon, and another student comes to mind: Aiden Wu. He was outed for crossdressing and had a breakdown. Meanwhile, they discuss Leah Jackson. Privately, Bronwyn remembers why Aiden might have a grudge against her: she and Leah (who were friends) told him the wrong date for a Model United Nations application deadline by accident, and he always believed they had sabotaged him on purpose.
Meanwhile, Bronwyn and Nate keep talking at night. They watch movies together, and speculate on what Mr. Avery might have known. On Thursday, they watch Divergent.
Part Two: Hide and Seek, Chapter 13
Cooper visits his Nonny in the hospital after her heart attack. She tells him she will pay for his legal costs. She also tells him she’s noticed that he doesn’t light up around Keeley, and that if something is holding him back from expressing his true feelings for someone else, he shouldn’t let it. Cooper thinks about the fact that people always give him the benefit of the doubt.
The narration resumes on Friday from Nate’s perspective. Nate gets back from a party and Amber’s to find his father drunk once again, even shortly after a hospitalization that led to a steep ambulance bill. He calls Bronwyn again and asks her to come over, but she doesn’t want to get in trouble.
Analysis
The appearance of a new Tumblr post contributes to the motif of social media and the theme of gossip. Now, the four students’ secrets are public knowledge. The existing stereotypes around them mean that they are affected differently. Addy and Bronwyn are women, and are immediately judged and shunned by their peers. Meanwhile, Cooper knows people will give him the benefit of the doubt—he is aware of his own white male privilege.
Tied to the question of stereotypes and perception is the theme of the criminal justice system. Each of the students has secured legal representation (except for Nate), and they are all keenly aware that the police have continued to focus on their preferred narrative rather than investigating other possibilities (Mr. Avery, or students with motives include Leah Jackson and Simon Wu). Even Bronwyn’s sister Maeve believes she could do a better job of hacking into the Tumblr.
As we learn more about About That, Simon—even in death—is characterized as the antagonist of the novel. While many of the students seem to view his posts as “fair” because they are “truthful,” it increasingly seems that he shamed his peers for their gender expression and sexuality. While “gossip” is a prominent theme in the book, the line between simple gossip and overt discrimination is increasingly unclear. Simon’s app outed queer students as well as slut-shamed female students, reinforcing gender norms and leading to disastrous consequences for the affected students.
As these themes play out, the novel also returns to some prominent symbols. Nate invites Brownyn over to “meet his lizard,” in this case, comically not sexual innuendo but a reference to his lizard Stan, who symbolizes his vulnerability.
Finally, Nonny’s remarks to Cooper contribute to his characterization. She hints that she knows he is romantically attached to someone else, and wonders what prevents him from pursuing that person.
