What to Say Next

Miney makes an unexpected visit home, one that she says is open-ended. David notes that she wears a different scent and has dyed part of her hair purple. He feels discomfited by her bloodshot eyes and feels pleased with himself when he makes her laugh.

The next day, at lunch, David evaluates how Kit, unlike most people, “never offends [his] senses” (104). David grows nervous when Kit notes that she saw him drive himself to school, given that she has been giving him rides home unnecessarily. When he confesses that he likes spending time together, she agrees that she enjoys talking to him. Later, they joke that Kit won’t offer him a ride home; she grows stiff when David praises her driving skills, which David attributes to Gabriel and Justin looking on.

Miney cautions David against being too blunt when talking about Kit’s father, but David counters that Kit likes his “brutal honesty.” Miney encourages David to ask Kit on a non-romantic outing. She says that “the time has come” for David to go shopping for better clothes (109).

Kit finds that she now notices David “everywhere” at school, which makes it “just plain weird” when they encounter one another at the pharmacy (110). Kit explains that she knows Miney by reputation and is relieved that she doesn’t have to act “cool” with David. David muses that Kit’s “stillness” connects with his idea of her as an only child, something he considers potentially isolating. He connects this to radio frequencies that only certain people can hear; Kit opines that she can register David’s “frequency.”

Over ice cream, they discuss the “butterfly effect,” which posits that a small change can have compounding effects. Kit feels “winded” by the ease with which David comments on her father’s death. They weigh the differences between “human mistakes” and “atmospheric disturbance” (115). David worries that this means that a small misstep can end their friendship; Kit rejects this. She asks David who he would be if he could be anyone. David names his guitar instructor, Trey. Kit shocks herself and David by taking a bite of his ice cream.

Later, David texts Kit despite being “usually anti-text.” When he confesses his difficulty with conveying tone, she sends a selfie but then feels self-conscious. They return to texting to discuss their mutual challenges with insomnia. Kit confesses her obsession with imagining the details of her father’s crash. He offers to help her figure out when, if at all, came the decisive moment where the crash was preventable.

Miney cautions David that texting with Kit could put him in the “friend zone,” when Kit licking his ice cream was clearly flirtatious. She asks about David’s romantic interest in Kit, which he confirms. Miney grows exasperated when David interprets her advice to appear like a “real guy” to Kit as something involving his genitals, but she grins when David pretends to text his overly literal interpretation to Kit.

At lunch, David finds himself admiring Kit’s breasts, though he believes that this is “disrespectful.” She apologizes for licking his ice cream, but he brushes off the apology. He offers several topics of conversation, but Kit rejects them all. When Kit playfully smacks him, David feels that it’s “like coming home” (127).

Kit and Jack search Robert’s office for important documents. Mandip refuses to help. Kit finds it bittersweet to look at photos of their family and recalls how her father would banish her from the office when she distracted him from work. She cries when she finds a folder full of her childhood art. She finds a divorce petition that cites adultery, which Jack quickly tries to hide. In tears, Kit demands that Mandip explain what happened. Mandip tells her that the divorce was not yet certain; she and Robert were in couples counseling. Kit assumes that Robert was unfaithful, but Mandip admits that she was the one who had an affair. When Jack approaches and he and Mandip communicate subtly, Kit realizes that the affair was with Jack.

David’s new haircut and wardrobe spark gossip, which he finds as uncomfortable as the physical reminders of the new clothes. He thinks of makeover montages from teen movies but notes that he doesn’t feel “transformed.” He isn’t sure if comments from Abby and Willow are compliments or mockery but only cares about Kit’s reaction. When Kit arrives late, however, she doesn’t look at David, which makes him worry that she dislikes his new look. José asks for details about David’s new clothes so that he can imitate them.

At lunch, Kit compliments David’s haircut and asks how he feels about this new look. She grows flustered when she comments on how his appearance is different but “really good.” David is about to ask her to get food after school when Justin and Gabriel interrupt. They mock David using slurs about mental disabilities. David recalls when, in middle school, he thought Justin wanted to be friends; he asked him to do things that he now recognizes as mockery. David tries to ignore the pair, and Kit tells them to go away. Later, David realizes that Justin has stolen his notebook.

Annie and Violet gossip about David being “hot,” asking if this is the reason behind Kit’s new friendship with him. Kit feels uneasy that others may want to join the quiet bubble of her lunch table with David. Kit considers telling her friends about her mom’s affair but remains quiet, as it “doesn’t feel real” (147). She considers how, although the affair and her father’s death are technically unrelated, they feel related.

Kit’s thoughts remain on her family troubles as her friends ask if David and Kit will attend prom together. Violet pressures her to “try” harder at enjoying herself. Kit considers all the choices that she doesn’t feel “brave enough” to make, including a reference to death by suicide.

When David texts Kit to propose that they work on the “Accident Project” after school, Kit impulsively demands that they start immediately and leaves their joint physics class, hoping that David will follow her.

David laments that his “makeover” means that he is no longer “invisible.” As an excuse to leave class, he references needing the bathroom, which leads his classmates to laugh—though David finds this laugh “collaborative” instead of mocking. He meets Kit in the snowy parking lot, where he explains that it is not impossible, merely improbable, for two snowflakes to be identical. Kit finds it comforting that “something crazy like that” can happen (157). They walk together, briefly holding hands.

Kit confides in David about her mother’s affair. Though David feels uncertain of how to respond, Kit seems comforted. He comments on their friendship despite his concern that this will prevent a romantic connection between them. He encourages her to ask her mom why she had an affair, arguing that this could “help close the loop” of her questions (161). Kit compliments his haircut, and they watch the snow fall together.

Kit presses her mom, who confides that she had the affair because she was “lonely. And stupid. But mostly lonely” (162). While David and Kit discuss this over dinner later, David says that he thinks this makes sense, though Kit finds it illogical. Kit focuses on her hamburger while David discusses twin prime numbers, a concept that he connects to the romance of falling and staying in love, given the rarity of twin primes. David tells Kit that she is “beautiful,” making her blush.

They continue their work on the project, and Kit’s anxiety mounts as they drive to the site of her dad’s crash. Violet texts Kit a link to a classmate’s social media, which uses a slur for mental disability. Kit doesn’t open it. When David begins discussing the practicalities of measuring Robert’s death, Kit balks at the project. David offers to quit if she wants, though he worries about her sleeplessness. Kit forges forward, mimicking his “clinical detachment.” However, she quickly grows nauseated once they reach the crash site and runs away.