Someone Like You

Chapter 2 begins with Halley explaining the fundamental differences between her and Scarlett. Halley views Scarlett as more beautiful, while Scarlett envies Halley’s traditional family structure, as Scarlett was raised by a young single mother. Halley expresses that she often feels unfinished, “like just an outline in a coloring book” (23), and that while Scarlett’s colors help to fill her in somewhat, Halley is still waiting to feel complete on her own.

Halley recalls the beginning of Scarlett and Michael’s relationship. The girls had known Michael for years since they grew up in the same neighborhood, but he had always been an “enigma” (23), not quite fitting in with any single group or clique at school, similar to his best friend, Macon Faulkner. Because of Michael’s good-natured humor and ability to mix with everyone, Halley explains that Michael was “the one thing [they] all had in common” (24). Scarlett and Michael only dated for a short while, but in that time, Halley knew that Scarlett loved him. On the day of Michael’s funeral, Halley goes across the street to Scarlett’s to get ready.

Halley sits with Scarlett and Marion at their kitchen table, and Marion asks when the service starts, explaining that she is busy at work but will try to make it after her shift at the glamour photography store where she works. As Marion stands up from the table to get dressed, Halley reflects on how different Marion is from her own mother, or anyone else’s mother, because of her young age and fashionable clothing. When Marion leaves, Scarlett explains that Marion will likely not attend the funeral because she always has an excuse.

The girls go upstairs, and Scarlett goes to Marion’s room to look for something to wear to the funeral. Halley goes to lie down on Scarlett’s bed and is shocked to find Michael’s best friend, Macon Faulkner, already under the covers. Halley does not know Macon well—only by his reputation in town—but Scarlett seems unfazed by Macon’s presence. Scarlett asks Macon if he needs a ride to the funeral, but he declines, thanking Scarlett for letting him stay the night and leaving. Halley looks at Scarlett, incredulous, and Scarlett explains that Macon has problems and is struggling after losing Michael, his best friend. Halley watches Macon walk through the neighborhood, and before he disappears from view, he turns back and waves at Halley.

At the funeral, Scarlett becomes uncomfortable when she sees the other girls that Michael dated before her. During the service, one of the girls, Elizabeth, stands up and rushes out of the church, crying. After the service, Scarlett and Halley leave together, and it begins to rain. As they drive home, Scarlett spots Macon walking on the side of the road and stops, instructing Halley to ask him if he wants a ride. Macon declines despite multiple requests, and the girls watch him walk away, his eyes red from crying.

Halley recalls how Michael and Scarlett’s relationship started at the beginning of the summer while they were all working at Milton’s Market. Halley remembers Michael purchasing four kiwis each day for a week. Scarlett commented that he must really like them, and he gave her one. Scarlett then began taking her breaks at the same time as Michael, and from then on, Michael joined Scarlett and Halley on nearly all their outings together. Halley had never seen Scarlett so happy. Because of his recent breakup with Elizabeth, Scarlett and Michael kept their relationship mostly hidden, except for the day when the three of them went to the lake and Halley took a photo of them together. At the beginning of August, Michael confessed to Scarlett that he loved her, only to die in the accident two weeks later.

On the first day of the new school year, Halley receives her schedule for the semester and sees multiple errors. She goes to guidance to fix the schedule, and while she waits, Macon enters the office, taking the seat next to her. Macon teases Halley that she, like him, has done something to warrant being sent to the office, flirting with her. Halley insists that her schedule is merely wrong. Macon points out that they are in the same physical education class. Then, the principal comes to gather Macon, and as they walk away, Halley notices that she feels different, “weird, jumpy” (55), after talking to Macon for minutes.

With her new schedule in hand, Halley finds Scarlett by the soda machine, and she tells her about talking to Macon in the guidance department. Halley tries to describe how talking to Macon made her feel, and Scarlett suggests that Macon may like her. Halley dismisses the thought, and as they get ready to go to their next class, Scarlett states that she suddenly feels ill. Halley sees Macon, and he reminds her that they have PE next. Scarlett tells Halley to “[j]ust be careful. Of P.E. and all that” as she goes (59).

PE becomes the most important part of Halley’s day because of the time she gets to spend near Macon, who always sits next to her in class despite his sporadic attendance. The more Halley gets to know Macon, the more intrigued she is by him: He is not interested in school, frequently has a forged note or is absent altogether, and has no curfew. Halley feels that Macon is “wild, different” (61), and as she spends time with him, she can pretend that she is the same way.

Halley becomes increasingly distant toward her parents. Halley cannot exactly define why her parents are suddenly “making [her] crazy” (65), but something feels different: She does not tell her mother about Macon, although there was a time when she would have been the first person Halley spoke to about a crush. Halley feels less and less like the “perfect daughter [she]’d been in that Grand Canyon picture” as she immerses herself in a world that grows further away from her parents’ expectations of her (66).

Halley notes the exact date and time that Macon asks her out for the first time. When he suggests that she and Scarlett should go to a party that night in Ginny’s neighborhood, Halley at first tries to come off as casual but quickly agrees. Halley goes to Scarlett’s house after school, and Marion is getting ready for a first date with a man named Steve. Scarlett tells Halley about Steve’s interest in medieval historical role play, which he does on the weekends.

At home, Halley’s mother tries to convince her to spend the evening with her parents and the Vaughns, but Halley lies, telling her that she is spending the evening at Scarlett’s instead. Scarlett and Halley arrive at Ginny’s house and weave their way through the party, but Macon is nowhere in sight. The party abruptly ends when someone breaks a priceless heirloom, and Ginny orders everyone to go home.

Halley tries to act nonchalant about not having seen Macon at the party, insisting that she never liked Macon. She says that he needs to date someone more like Ginny or Elizabeth—someone with a reputation—and that he would never be interested in someone like her. Scarlett stops Halley, asking her why she always puts herself down in this way.

When they arrive home, Halley notices someone standing outside her bedroom window and sees that it is Macon. She walks over to him, and he asks her where she was at the party, explaining that he had been upstairs in the attic. Halley’s father sticks his head out of the window, and Halley pushes Macon into the shadows. Her father asks what she is doing and reminds her that her curfew is soon and that she has to be up early tomorrow to mow the lawn. Macon teases her when her father goes back inside, and they kiss for the first time. A car pulls up on the road, and Macon breaks their kiss, telling her that he will call her tomorrow before rushing away.

The next morning, Halley’s father sets up the lawn mower, and Halley almost immediately twists her ankle in a hole in the yard. She sits up and sees a red pickup truck stopped near her driveway and recognizes Macon behind the wheel. He asks her if she wants help, and before she can protest, he gets the lawnmower from the back of the truck, which belongs to the company he works for, and begins mowing the Cookes’ lawn.

Halley’s parents ask Halley who Macon is as he finishes mowing. Halley thanks Macon for his help, and he says that he has to go return the mower to his boss. Halley brushes off her parents’ questions, explaining that they have PE together, and as she goes inside, she can hear her mother express doubts about Macon.