On the way to the poetry magazine meeting, Addie sees Hudson and Kenzie alone together in a hidden fourth-floor nook. Watching her former best friend stand intimately close to Kenzie makes Addie feel jealous, displaced, and bitter about how much has changed between them. When Addie notices Kenzie’s key chain hanging from her backpack, she quietly steals it while Hudson and Kenzie are distracted.

Addie expects to be caught, but no one notices, and she reaches the poetry magazine meeting with Kenzie’s house keys still in her pocket. The meeting is much smaller than Addie expected, which makes it feel less intimidating. Mr. Bennett immediately greets Addie warmly, leaves another conversation to welcome her, and introduces her to the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Lotus.

Mr. Bennett publicly praises Addie’s poem and suggests it could deserve a prominent spot, which deeply affects Addie because she rarely feels talented or valued. Lotus is initially hostile, especially after Addie mistakenly calls her Mary, but she reads Addie’s poem and admits that it is good, though she suggests revisions. Addie’s poem, which is about her father, is revealed to be deeply personal and dark.

The conversation then turns to the rumor that Addie had some kind of relationship with Mr. Tuttle. Addie denies it, but Lotus clearly does not believe her and bluntly ties Tuttle’s firing to the scandal, reminding Addie that her reputation still defines her at school. Addie briefly thinks about transferring, but Mr. Bennett’s encouraging glance and the secret power she feels from carrying Kenzie’s keys give her the confidence to stay.