After the meeting with the principal, Addie becomes increasingly anxious because Nathaniel does not answer her texts. At lunch, Lotus sits with Addie and asks if she is okay, but Addie accuses Lotus of betraying her over the poetry contest. Lotus insists that she never went to the principal and that Mr. Bennett independently chose Lotus’s poem, but Addie refuses to believe her because Nathaniel had told her otherwise.

Unable to calm down, Addie decides she must see Nathaniel during his free period even though he had always said meeting at school was too risky. She finds him alone in his classroom. Nathaniel immediately reacts with anger and tells Addie that coming to his house the night before was a serious mistake because it has put both of them “on the radar.”

When Addie begins crying and apologizing, Nathaniel softens. He takes her hands, tells her he could never hate her, and calls her his soulmate, but he says they must be much more careful so Eve does not become suspicious. Nathaniel then refuses to meet Addie that day and says they should stay apart until next week.

Addie is devastated by the idea of going a week without him, so she pulls Nathaniel close and kisses him. Nathaniel kisses her back passionately, but afterward he reasserts that they cannot do this again for a while. He allows only limited contact through Snapflash, tells Addie to leave, and sends her back to class. Addie leaves determined to endure the separation, blaming Eve for the situation and clinging to Nathaniel’s promise that they will someday be together.