Unfriended

Hazel remains angry at Truly for hanging out with the popular group. Hazel gathers the courage to approach Brooke and invite her over. Brooke claims she’s busy, but she says she might be able to come over next week.

Brooke gives her version of the interaction with Hazel. She doesn’t know Hazel’s name and thinks of Hazel as “awkward” and “moody.” She remembers her mother’s belief that she should be warm with everybody, so she agrees to go over to Hazel’s house sometime. Brooke worries more about explaining to her friends why both of her parents are home.

At Brooke’s house, Truly describes Brooke’s family as cheerful and “perfect.” The girls playfully tease Truly about her report on the “dust mite feces” or “bug crap in dust” (88-89). The girls support doing their History Day project on Benedict Arnold, and Truly explains his story and alleged reasons for betraying the United States. Truly thinks Natasha could play Benedict Arnold’s second wife, Peggy Shippen.

Concerning Benedict Arnold, Natasha makes a joke about betrayal and friendship before the girls switch to the eighth-grade bake sale. They’re making cookies and figuring out portions and pricing. Natasha remembers her father burning cookies when she was in the first grade. Truly brought “perfect” cupcakes. Lulu and Evangeline compliment Truly, but Natasha accuses Truly of acting like a “mini-Brooke” and makes fun of Evangeline for eating too much cookie dough. The girls call out Natasha’s hostile comments.

Jack is a gourmet, and he brings a mesquite wood-smoked turkey sandwich to lunch. He notices that Clay eats indiscriminately, and if Jack didn’t pack his mother a lunch, she’d only eat a banana and yogurt.

After eating, the popular kids play a version of football, Salugi, where the players must reach their goal—tiny spaces under the fence—without getting tackled. The game is inclusive, as only smaller kids can get into the little spaces.

Jack runs into Truly and accidentally cracks open her knee. He carries her to the nurse’s office. While they wait for the nurse to arrive, they discuss her presentation on mite feces in dust. The nurse arrives and sends Jack back to class. Jack feels like he could have held Truly indefinitely.

Truly’s chapter consists of a social media post and the ensuing comments. Truly posts that she had to get 10 stitches on her knee. Afterward, she got two scoops of ice cream. In the comments, Jack apologizes, while Hazel wonders if Truly is okay.

Clay’s chapter consists of a one-sided text exchange with Brooke. Brooke is asleep, so she doesn’t respond, yet Clay continues to message her. He says Jack was upset about what he did to Truly and joked about Jack setting himself on fire on Truly’s lawn as a form of “penance.”

Jack believes people could carry on conversations with only three phrases—“that’s horrible,” “nice,” and “hmmmm” (119)—but a contentious phone call with Natasha changes his mind. Clay wonders why everyone is “pissed” at him. He wishes Brooke was awake and could answer his texts.

Brooke goes to Hazel’s stone house. There’s a library, tall ceilings, a “massive” kitchen, and a dinner room decorated with paintings. Brooke labels the home a “mansion.”

Hazel and Brooke eat Mallomars before they go to Hazel’s room to meet Hazel’s pet bird, Sweet Pea. Hazels stresses that the bird is a budgerigar, which isn’t the same as a parakeet. Hazel has had Sweet Pea since she was three. Hazel realizes the bird is dead and screams as Brooke worries about the chocolate on her fingers.

Hazel’s mother comforts her daughter and tells Hazel that the original Sweet Pea died a few weeks after they got him, so, rather than try to explain death to a three-year-old, they got Hazel a replacement without telling her. The parents have replaced Sweet Pea multiple times, justifying the color changes as “molting.” Hazel’s mother excuses herself: She’s studying for the bar exam to become a lawyer.

Hazel puts the bird in a ballet dancer jewel box, and she and Brooke bury the bird. Hazel says a few words, and Brooke follows, with Brooke admitting that she doesn’t know Hazel or Sweet Pea very well. Nevertheless, Brooke believes Hazel “loved” Sweet Pea, and Hazel thanks Brooke for the “beautiful words.”

The popular girls get their History Day project approved and go into town with the popular boys to celebrate. Truly must get permission from her mother, and Natasha explains to that group that Truly has “overprotective” parents. Jack offers to carry Truly’s books, and Natasha snidely wonders if they’re back in 1958.

Brooke discusses her experience at Hazel’s house, and Natasha labels Hazel a “wacko.” Clay expresses his distaste for bubble tea, and Natasha agrees, claiming that the tapioca balls hit the “little dongy thing” in the back of a person’s throat. The kids joke about the “dongy thing,” and Truly provides the precise term: uvula.

Hazel assumed Brooke would be a “shallow plate,” but her conduct at Sweet Pea’s funeral made Hazel realize that Brooke is sensitive. Hazel writes another letter to Truly that she’ll never send. The letter reminds Truly that Hazel knows Truly’s passwords for all her accounts: “locker143542.” Hazel logged into Truly’s email and saw an email from Natasha that made fun of Truly’s siblings. Assuming Brooke would retaliate against Natasha if she saw the email, Hazel forwarded the “nasty” email to Brooke.

After reading Natasha’s email, Brooke is upset. Natasha wants Truly to believe that the popular kids would not think less of Truly if they found out about her brother, who has Asperger’s syndrome, and her sister, who has behavioral issues. Brooke’s response to Natasha is “screw you.”