Addie struggles to focus in English because her secret sexual relationship with Nathaniel Bennett now dominates her thoughts. Their affair has continued for more than three weeks, with near-daily meetings in the darkroom after school, and Nathaniel has become much more cautious about showing her any attention in public. Addie frames the relationship as intimate and special, especially because Nathaniel has told her that his marriage to Eve Bennett is unhappy and sexually dead.

During class, Principal Higgins announces that the Massachusetts poetry award has gone to Mary Pickering, also known as Lotus. The news shocks Addie because Nathaniel had told Addie that he submitted her poem, making Addie think she had won. When Nathaniel avoids looking at her and rushes away after class, Addie becomes anxious and confronts him through a disappearing message, and Nathaniel promises to explain later.

When Nathaniel arrives late to the darkroom, Addie is angry and demands an explanation. Nathaniel apologizes and says Addie was his first choice, but Mary complained to the principal that a junior had been selected for a contest usually reserved for seniors. Nathaniel claims he did not fight harder because choosing Addie might have exposed his personal feelings for her and created suspicion. Addie redirects her anger toward Mary, accepts Nathaniel’s explanation, and feels reassured when Nathaniel says he cares deeply for her.

After Nathaniel quotes poetry and presents their bond as profound and unique, Addie becomes even more emotionally attached. She thinks about how central Nathaniel has become to her life and imagines a future in which they could be together more openly after she graduates. By the end of the chapter, Addie sees Eve Bennett less as Nathaniel’s wife than as the obstacle preventing their relationship from becoming easier and more complete.