Until Friday Night

West Ashby, Brady’s friend, attends a party in the field the night before football season starts. He decides to get drunk because his dad has cancer, and he doesn’t want to think about losing him. He’s glad to see his girlfriend, Raleigh, at the party. Neither she nor West’s friends know about his dad. West finds Brady and his girlfriend Ivy Hollis. He wonders if his mom told Brady’s mom about his dad.

West, Brady, and their football friends, Gunner Lawton and Ryker Lee, drink beer and chat. They all exclaim when they see Brady’s attractive cousin under a nearby tree. Brady insists that Maggie is off limits because she “has issues” and doesn’t talk. The boys make jokes about getting with Maggie, which Brady silences.

West answers a call from his mom, panicking that something has happened to his dad. After telling her he loves her, he hangs up, kicks his truck, and swears. He can’t tell anyone what’s going on in his life. When he looks up and sees Maggie, he taunts her, expecting her to run. She doesn’t move. Then, West presses himself against her and kisses her.

Maggie attends the field party with Brady per Coralee’s urging. She hides under a tree so as not to bother Brady and his friends. She watches West step away to answer a call and overhears his conversation. He seems like a good person because of the way he talks to his mother. When he kisses her, she grabs onto him and whimpers. She’s surprised when he leaves but doesn’t regret sharing her first kiss with him because West seems “beautiful and haunted” (21). On the way home, she stops thinking about the kiss and starts worrying about hurting Brady.

Coralee informed the school that Maggie doesn’t speak, but Maggie feels upset when she hears students calling her a “mute” (23). During one incident, a footballer named Nash intervenes and helps her get into her locker. Maggie is shocked when she realizes the couple making out next to her is West and Raleigh. West doesn’t seem to remember their kiss and is mean to those around him. However, he seems as afraid and pained to Maggie as he did the night before. She tells herself to stay away from him because his behavior reminds her of her father.

West and his friends talk about Maggie at lunch. West silently regrets kissing her because he wasn’t being sensitive. While Nash and Asa Griffith joke that Maggie’s the perfect girl because she’s attractive and silent, Ryker insists she’s “mentally unstable.” West doubts this but says nothing. He knows he’ll have to stay away from her to avoid upsetting Brady. He also needs to focus on the upcoming championship. He wants to win for his dad, his number one fan.

West’s mom has dinner ready when he returns from practice. She acts happy and energetic, although West knows she’s sad. He notices she made his dad’s favorite foods, too. He tells her he loves her, hoping she won’t cry.

Maggie sits in her room waiting for Brady’s friends to arrive for the evening. Meanwhile, she considers West’s contradictory behaviors. She remembers being hurt by boys in the past, and her late mother comforting her. She dismisses the memories because she misses her mom too much.

Nash visits Maggie in her room and apologizes for making her feel uncomfortable at school. Maggie writes a note saying she appreciates his friendship. Then he puts his picture and number in her phone so they can text. Brady gets upset when he finds Nash in her room and forces him out. He tells Maggie his teammates aren’t her friends, and he doesn’t need her distracting them. Maggie tells herself she doesn’t need friends anyway.

West looks for Raleigh at school because he doesn’t want to think about what happened with his dad the previous night. Maggie appears, interrupting his thoughts. He sees a text from Nash on her phone while helping her with her locker. He accuses Maggie of distracting his team and storms off to confront Nash.

West’s friends question him about his relationship with Raleigh before class. She’s seeing someone new, but West insists he doesn’t care. Then Gunner tells the friends his mom heard that Maggie saw her father shoot her mother. West doesn’t know what to believe but realizes Maggie must be in pain.

Maggie ignores Nash’s texts given Brady’s warning. She wants to explain things to Nash but doesn’t know how. West appears, sees the texts, and scolds her for communicating with Nash. Maggie bursts out at West, surprising herself. It’s the first she’s spoken since her mother’s death. She stopped talking to keep her memories from coming out and can’t understand why she felt the impulse to talk to West. No one else has made her feel this way. In class afterwards, she texts Nash to leave her alone.

Everyone stops talking to Maggie. She welcomes the invisibility, but feels lonely, too. During the pep rally on Tuesday, a new group of students introduce themselves. A boy named Charlie asks her out. She feels stronger but isn’t sure she’s ready to date.

West misses his dad at his game. He plays well but fears he’s losing the dreams he and his dad shared for so long. Afraid to go home, he drives to the field party, drinks, and pretends everything is fine. Maggie waits in the distance again. The friends argue about Brady’s decision to exclude her until West leaves.

West joins Maggie in the lot. He starts talking about his problems, insisting he needs someone to listen. Maggie tries to make sense of what he’s saying as he tells her about his dad’s sickness. When he asks if she knows “what it’s like, to be scared,” she answers yes (70). She compares his dad’s impending death to her mom’s death and admits that she has regular nightmares about what happened.

West is moved by Maggie’s words. He listens as she explains how not talking has helped her survive. She says that she is talking to West now because he needs her to. Brady interrupts the conversation and drags Maggie home.

West supports his mom over the weekend while thinking about Maggie’s story. He’s shocked on Monday when Maggie ignores him at their lockers. When Raleigh appears, begging for West to take her back, he breaks up with her for good. Afterwards, he realizes Brady was right to protect Maggie from him.

Maggie avoids West at school. She doesn’t know how to talk to anyone else, and fears that she’ll get upset or reveal her memories if she opens her mouth again. In the cafeteria, she joins Charlie’s table. Then Brady and West appear, insisting they protect Maggie from Charlie and his friends. Maggie is glad she doesn’t have to participate in the boys’ ensuing argument.

West is upset after hospice nurses visit his home. He goes to Brady’s with the team to distract himself. When he runs into Maggie, she tells him that Boone told Brady about his dad and comforts him. Her words help West explain his situation to Brady. When Brady asks if there’s anything he can do for West, West asks if he can be friends with Maggie. Brady agrees.

Maggie agrees to hang out with the team to keep West company. When the team starts questioning West and Maggie, West insists they’re friends. Maggie feels uncomfortable with this label but likes helping West. She’s surprised to notice her stomach flutter while next to him.

West asks Brady for Maggie’s number when he leaves. He’s told Brady that he and Maggie understand each other and have a special way of communicating. At home, West and his mom talk about his dad over dinner. He thinks about Maggie to calm down. Afterwards, he calls her and they talk for hours about their pain.