One of Us is Lying

Nate tells his suppliers that he is “out of commission for a while” then calls Bronwyn on the phone he gave her (119). She asks if he remembers a birthday party they went to in fifth grade, and he does. It was the last time they had spoken, until after Simon’s death. She asks him if he’s been dealing drugs, and he admits that Simon’s gossip was accurate, but he did not kill him. She admits that Simon’s gossip about her was also accurate. She says that she feels ashamed, but Nate thinks she is more worried about what people will think about her.

Nate asks Bronwyn why she believes him that he didn’t kill Simon, and she notes how he tried to help Simon when he collapsed. Nate reminds her that if he were a sociopath, he would be able to “fake anything” (122). Bronwyn recalls how patient he was when his mother would have a manic episode and tells Nate she does not believe he’s a sociopath. She tells Nate that she liked his mom and admits that she had a crush on him when they were children. He will not admit the same, however, because “I lie whenever it’s convenient” (124). He receives a message from Amber, a girl he is hooking up with. As he ends his call with Bronwyn, he texts Amber to come over, adding, “Bronwyn’s naive if she thinks there’s more to me than that” (124).

Ashton makes Addy go to school, telling her that Jake “doesn’t get to erase you from the world” (125). At school, she runs into Janae, who is crying in the bathroom between classes. Addy sees Jake at his locker and approaches him, asking if he will ever speak to her again. He says, “Not if I can help it” (127). She finds the word “whore” written on her locker and recognizes the handwriting as Vanessa’s. She hides in the bathroom, crying, until third period, then decides to ditch school. In the stairwell, she runs into TJ, who is heading out to a doctor’s appointment for his swollen nose. TJ swears he didn’t tell anyone they hooked up, but since they were kissing on the beach before returning to his house, anyone could have seen them. It occurs to Addy that she may have “overconfessed,” though she would not have been able to tell Jake a half-truth anyway (128). As they both head out, TJ tells her that if she needs anyone to sit with at lunch, she can sit with him, adding, “They wanna talk, let’s give them something to talk about” (129).

Four days after Simon’s funeral, the Tumblr is updated with Simon’s unpublished post and a note from the self-proclaimed murderer instructing readers to “connect the dots” behind Simon’s murder: “Who’s the puppet master and who’s the puppet?” (131). At lunch, when the update is released, Bronwyn realizes that she will have to face her friends’ questions about whether Simon’s gossip that she cheated is true. However, at that moment, Principal Gupta calls Addy, Cooper, Nate, and Bronwyn to her office.

She knows they have retained lawyers but wants to know if they have anything to say about the latest Tumblr. When she briefly leaves the office to take a call, the foursome discusses Simon’s death. Addy points out that Simon had many enemies and recalls how his gossip drove Leah to attempt suicide, adding that what he did to her was “straight-up evil” (135). Bronwyn is surprised to hear “mild-mannered little Addy Prentiss speak with such venom in her voice” and express “an opinion of her own” (135). When the conversation moves on to the peanut oil, Addy notes that only “cold-pressed” peanut oil would cause an allergic reaction. Nate suggests she not repeat that in front of Principal Gupta, who returns shortly after. Cooper firmly tells her that they can’t have a conversation. As all four students file out, Gupta tells them the “door is always open” (137).

Bronwyn has been speaking with Nate every night on the phone he gave her. The night after their meeting with Principal Gupta, they discuss the lead-up to Simon’s death. She wonders aloud whether Mr. Avery could have done it, then immediately dismisses the idea of her “frail, mousy teacher manically doctoring cups before detention” (139). She cannot imagine any of the other three students from detention doing it, either, but acknowledges that she does not know any of them well enough to determine that. 

Cooper and his little brother, Lucas, visit Nonny at the hospital, where she is recovering from her heart attack. Nonny sends Lucas to buy candy for her, then asks Cooper how he is holding up. He admits that the situation is a mess, and she expresses regret that he, “of all people,” has been “pulled into this” (142). He tells her that he did not take steroids or do anything to hurt Simon. She accepts his word, which “makes [him] feel guilty,” and tells him not to worry because she will pay for everything (142). When she asks how Keely is doing, Cooper admits that he feels suffocated, and Nonny tells him that he should let her go if he does not love her.

She sends him out to find Lucas, and the nurses solicitously help him. He reflects that people have always seen the best in him. “If it ever came out that [he’d] actually done something to Simon,” he knows plenty of people would make excuses for him and expect there to be more to the story, adding, “they’d be right” (144).

Nate returns home from a party to find his father awake and drinking. A few months earlier, Nate had called an ambulance when he found his father barely breathing. Doctors told him his liver damage was so severe that “he could drop dead” at any moment, but it did not curb his drinking (145). The hospital bill has not been paid, and without Nate’s drug-dealing income, Nate doesn’t see how it will be paid.

He gets on the phone with Bronwyn to watch a movie, a habit they have gotten into, but his selection, Ringu, is too scary for her to watch alone. Nate suggests she sneak out of her house and come watch it with him. She considers it but finally decides that she would get into too much trouble. They’re about to fall asleep with their phones still on, but Bronwyn realizes she only has half an hour left of her minutes. Nate promises to get her a new phone.

On Saturday, Ashton makes plans to distract Addy, who worries about taking Ashton away from her life with Charlie. Ashton admits that she walked in on him with another woman and has moved out. Ashton asks Addy why she lied about visiting the nurse’s office on the day of Simon’s murder, and Addy admits that she had gone to get Tylenol for Jake and did not want Ashton to call her a doormat. Ashton suggests they rent bicycles. After their ride, Addy receives a text from Cooper, who asks if Addy will be going to Olivia’s party. Addy responds that she is not invited, and he is sympathetic. Addy reflects that his standing by her has prevented Vanessa from going “nuclear” on Addy (153). She again wonders if she could have gotten away with not revealing all to Jake then realizes that while she misses him, she does not miss his controlling behavior.

Bronwyn goes for a run then stops by the library to pick up Maeve—their usual Saturday routine. She finds Maeve on one of the computers in the children’s section. She used a boy’s library card to hack into the About That administration panel and found that the post about Cooper is dated later than the other three. An earlier file bearing Cooper’s name is encrypted and cannot be opened. Maeve also discovered that Simon had been posting 4chan threads. Bronwyn asks Maeve how she knew where to look for Simon’s administration panel; Maeve admits that she swiped the information from a library computer Simon used. She had gained access to his site well before his death, and Bronwyn wants to know if it has something to do with “what happened freshman year” (156). Maeve says no; she “just wanted the stupid hold he had over the entire school to stop” (156). After they leave the library, they stop by a housing construction site that is abandoned on weekends, where Nate has hidden a new phone for Bronwyn.

At Olivia’s party, Cooper hopes to convince Jake to ease up on Addy, but Jake is drunk and belligerent. He reveals that his mother cheated on his father, throwing “a grenade right in the middle” of his family (159). Though Jake’s parents are still together, nothing has been the same ever since. Cooper learns Simon’s mother invited some of his classmates to her house to pick out mementos before she packs up Simon’s things. Cooper recognizes that not being invited means she sees him as a suspect. Olivia confirms this when she shows Cooper online gossip that names him, Addy, Bronwyn, and Nate as “persons of interest” in the case (161).