Paper Towns

Their next stop is Karin’s house, one of Margo’s friends. It was Karin who told Margo about Jase, with the result that Margo chewed her out in front of everyone. Margo leaves the bouquet of flowers on Karin’s doorstep with an apology note. She then says that their next task is to leave one of the fishes at Jase’s house. The task will be challenging, as Jase lives in a house with a sophisticated security system. Margo then comments that they are punishing their enemies, but Quentin replies that they are punishing her enemies, not his. Margo merely says, “We’ll see,” as the two head to Jase’s subdivision.

When the two reach the opulent Casavilla subdivision, Quentin comments on how large and ugly the homes are. Margo writes a note for Jase, saying that their love “sleeps with the fishes,” and then tells Quentin to keep the car running and be ready to drive away. She dons Jase’s baseball cap, takes a deep breath, and then sprints across the front lawn. The house immediately lights up and the alarm goes off. Quentin panics and briefly thinks about leaving Margo. Margo throws the fish through a window, sprays an “M” next to the shattered glass, and then runs back to the car. The two flee the scene, with Margo yelling at Quentin for actually stopping at a stop sign.

As they prepare for the next phase of the plan, Margo admits that the encounter at Jase’s house was intense, even for her. The next part, however, will be easier. She explains that Lacey is the next target. Lacey has been her friend since kindergarten, but never told her about Jase and Becca. She also tells Quentin about what a terrible friend Lacey has been, always saying things to undermine Margo’s self-esteem. Quentin tells Margo that she should not worry about the comments, and that she should not lose any weight. He contemplates Margo’s beauty, which is unusual really, and which seems to be interwoven with her personality.  

They find Lacey’s car, and Margo expertly picks the lock. The two hide one of the fishes, with another note, under the backseat, which Margo then smashes back down into place, thus squishing the fish. When prompted by Margo, Quentin spray paints an “M” onto the car’s roof. When they return to the minivan, Quentin notices a blue spot of paint on his fingers. He shows Margo, who touches the spot with her own blue finger, and holds it there for a moment. Finally, she tells Quentin to head downtown.

The two drive through downtown Orlando, which consists of office buildings and skyscrapers. The place is completely deserted at this time, and Quentin feels as if he has survived an apocalypse and is now exploring the ruins of the world. Margo finally directs Quentin to a large green sculpture known as The Asparagus. As Quentin watches Margo staring off into the distance, he thinks for the first time that night that something might actually be wrong with her. Not really sure what to say, however, he ignores Margo’s troubled look and asks her instead why they have come to the statue. He comments that “even her fake smiles were convincing” (54), before Margo finally tells Quentin that they are going to check on their progress, and that they are going to do so from the top of the SunTrust Building. Quentin immediately refuses, and Margo jokes about getting arrested for breaking or entering, but not breaking and entering, as Quentin fears. Quentin says the building has to have a security guard, and finds out that Margo actually knows the guard. His name is Gus.

They arrive at the building where Gus, who was a senior at Winter Park High School when the two were freshman, invites both Margo and Quentin in and tells them they can take the stairs to the very top. Margo takes Quentin to a conference room on the twenty-fifth floor of the building, where the two can look out and see all of Orlando. Margo leans against the glass and points out their houses, as well as Jase’s. Quentin is wary of leaning against the glass, but Margo pulls him towards her, and he leans his forehead against the glass as well. Caught by the beauty of the quiet night, Quentin remarks that Orlando is beautiful, but Margo laughs at the comment. He tries to explain himself by saying that the city’s imperfections are invisible from their point-of-view, so high up. Instead, they see Orlando as someone had once imagined it. Margo repeats her earlier comment that everything is uglier up close. Quentin says that fact does not apply to Margo. She smiles at the compliment, and tells Quentin that he is cute when confident.

As the two stare out at the city, Margo says that Orlando is a “paper town.” She tells Quentin that everything about Orlando is fake, that the town is full of “paper people” going about their lives with no meaning. Everyone is obsessed with material possessions. She then says that she has never met anyone in all her years of living there who has cared about anything even remotely important. Quentin says he will try not to take Margo’s comment personally. She apologizes, saying that if she had spent her time with him and his friends, perhaps her experience would be different. In truth, she is not really upset over Jase’s cheating, it was simply the last string, and “every paper girl needs at least one string…” (58).

Quentin tells her that she would be welcome at his table the next day at school. Though Margo appreciates the offer, her voice trails off as she thanks Quentin. She smiles at him and he wants very much to believe her smile. As they descend the steps, he tries to cheer Margo up. As she laughs, he wants to not only believe that he is cheering her up, but that she is capable of being cheered up. In hindsight, of course, he recognizes that he was wrong.