93 pages • 3 hours read
One of Us is Lying
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Chapters 19-23Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 19 Summary
While Nate’s mother attempts to talk with his father, Nate wonders what he can say to Bronwyn to explain why he never told her that his mother is alive. He did not want his mother dead, but letting people believe she had died was easier for him than explaining that she was a cocaine addict who ran away to a commune. Nobody seemed to care either way, until Officer Lopez and Bronwyn. He considered telling Bronwyn the truth during their late-night conversations, but did not know how.
Realizing Nate’s father is “not in any shape to talk,” Nate’s mother opens a conversation with him (218). She explains that she has been sober for three months, is on effective medication, and apologizes for what Nate has been through. Nate is guarded throughout the conversation. When his mother brings up Bronwyn, saying she hopes his relationship with her is a sign that she and Nate’s father have not “messed [Nate] up too badly,” Nate denies they are in a relationship and storms out (220). He rides his bike for a few hours near the Mojave Desert towards Joshua Tree, the one place he vacationed to with his parents. He spent that entire trip waiting for something to go wrong, but his mother had been on “good behavior,” perhaps because she “had a thing for those short, twisted trees that were everywhere” (221). He considers riding all night, disappearing, but realizes that is what his mother would do. He returns home, and later that night, Bronwyn calls him, and he feels “a massive sense of relief” (222).
The narrative shifts to Bronwyn. Furious with her for withholding information, her parents have grounded her. Bronwyn asks Maeve why she did not delete Simon’s blog; Maeve says she never knew about Bronwyn’s comment, as Simon had not posted it. She reminds Bronwyn that she had been more upset about Simon’s post than Maeve had.
Bronwyn invites Nate over, then sneaks him into her soundproof basement media room to ask him why he lied to her. He admits that he did not know how to undo his lie without looking like a “psycho,” and he half believed that the rumor about his mother was true (224). He swears he has not been dealing drugs since Simon’s murder and did not kill Simon. Bronwyn believes him. She knows “what it’s like to tell yourself a lie so often that it becomes the truth,” and she has a support system that Nate has never had (225).
Nate tells Bronwyn that his mother thought she was Nate’s girlfriend, and she asks if that is out of the question. He worries that he does not know how to be with a girl like Bronwyn. She tells him she is willing to try, and they kiss until Nate pulls away, concerned that her father will find them. He pulls out his phone, and they cuddle on the sofa to finish watching Ringu, the scary movie Bronwyn had not wanted to watch alone.
Chapter 20 Summary
The only time Cooper “feels like a real person,” rather than a robot “programmed to perform as expected,” is with Kris (230). Cooper had suspected he might be gay since the age of 11 but had buried those thoughts because of his family and his pro baseball aspirations. Only one MLB player is openly gay, and he plays in the minors. Cooper describes his father as “the kind of good old boy who calls gay people ‘fags’” (231). He can deal with Cooper being suspected of steroid use and murder, but if he knew Cooper was gay, “seventeen years of being the perfect son would be gone in an instant" (231).
Though Cooper is now tested weekly for steroids, he never took them. Instead, his improved fastball is the product of his father’s suggestion that Cooper hold back during his junior year. This way, his seemingly improved play would catch recruiters’ attention during his critical senior year. It worked, but at the cost of the steroid rumors. When the detective first showed Cooper Simon’s unpublished post, Cooper thought it would contain a rumor about his sexuality. He barely knew Simon but was terrified Simon would discover Cooper’s secret. At junior prom, a drunk Simon threw his arm around Cooper’s shoulder. Panicked that Simon knew Cooper was gay and was hitting on him, he convinced Vanessa to disinvite Simon from her after-party. Later, Cooper saw Simon hitting on Keely and realized he had been wrong. Cooper is haunted by feeling that he acted like a jerk the last time he talked to Simon “because [Cooper] couldn’t deal with who [he] was” (232).
A belligerent and defensive Nate meets his mother for lunch at a local diner. Ignoring her questions about school, his legal problems, and Bronwyn, he asks her how she has money if she has been in rehab. She explains that she works in medical transcription, a job she can do from anywhere. Nate recognizes that his mother is “[c]almer and more even-tempered” than he remembers, but he cannot bear to listen “to her promises” that she will stay (235). He leaves abruptly and finds Mikhail Powers waiting for him in the parking lot. Powers insists he is not Nate’s enemy and offers to help him get “the court of public opinion” on his side (235-36). Nate rides off, leaving his mother to deal with Powers.
Chapter 21 Summary
At lunch, Bronwyn receives nail polish recommendations from Addy, who has noticed that Bronwyn has been “getting fancier” (237). Cooper sits with them briefly—his signal that he has not abandoned Addy—as her other friends have. Bronwyn reflects that she once thought Cooper the handsomest boy at school but now sees him as “a little plastic and conventional” (238). Leah stops by their table and asks Bronwyn if she will ever admit that she cheated. Maeve calls her hypocritical for complaining about Simon then repeating his rumor. She challenges Leah to tell the press what Simon did to her. After Leah storms off, Maeve takes out her phone and begins forwarding Simon’s 4chan threads to Mikhail Powers. Janae grabs her wrist and demands to know how Maeve knew about that. Bronwyn pries her fingers off, and Janae tells them that they do not know anything about Simon, then stomps off. Bronwyn wonders if Janae sits with them in order to eavesdrop on their conversations.
At track class, Addy realizes she is getting strong from her bicycle riding and speeds past her classmates. Just as she is about to catch up with Jake, who is at the head of the pack, Vanessa trips her. The gym teacher asks Janae to take Addy to the nurse’s office, but Addy goes to the locker room instead. Janae brings her band-aids then asks if they can hang out sometime. Cheered at the thought of how her mother will react to Janae’s piercings and combat boots, Addy invites her to come over after school.
At Addy’s house, Janae assumes Addy must miss her old social life. Addy admits school was easier then, but she realizes “nobody [she] hung out with ever really cared about [her]” (245). She tells Janae that her loss is worse than Addy’s, which causes Janae to flush and ask for something to drink. When Addy returns with water, Janae has on her giant backpack. Claiming she suddenly does not feel well, she leaves. In frustration, Addy texts Bronwyn, who replies, “Be careful. I don’t trust her” (246).
Chapter 22 Summary
The police summon Cooper for another interview. Detective Chang shows Cooper and his lawyer, Mary, Simon’s original post, the one that was encrypted. It reveals that “CC” (Cooper) has been dating “a hot German underwear model” who models “boxers and briefs” (249). Mary intercepts Detective Chang’s questions, telling Cooper that he does not need to respond to the post. Detective Chang tells her the post makes Cooper “a more significant person of interest than before,” and the police will request a warrant to search Cooper’s home (250). Mary threatens to involve the ACLU, citing Cooper’s right to keep “sensitive information” private, but Cooper knows the information will get out either way (251).
Cooper realizes his life “as [he] knew it is over” (251). Mary gently tells him that his father loves him, but Cooper does not believe his father even knows him. He loves “Cooperstown” (251). On the way home from the station, Cooper’s father asks him what happened in the interview, and Cooper tells him to wait until they get home. There, he gathers his mother, Nonny, and his father and tells them he is gay. His father laughs, thinking Cooper is joking. Nonny tells him that Cooper is not joking, and his father’s “smile dims” (254). “There it is,” Cooper thinks to himself (254).
Chapter 23 Summary
At school the following day, the news vans are back in full force. Addy is shocked by Cooper’s bloodshot eyes and unkempt appearance. He explains to her that they are probably here because of him, then tells her he’s gay. She replies, “Cool,” reflecting that his reveal may explain why he has “always been a little remote” (256). She starts to tell him that no one will care, but neither of them believes it. Cooper asks her what she thinks of the “weird stuff” related to Simon, and she tells him that he and Bronwyn should compare notes. Bronwyn wants to get the four of them together to discuss the case.
The police interview students throughout the day, and rumors about Connor begin to spread. Olivia gleefully corners Addy to tell her that everyone is saying Connor is gay. Addy walks away to join Bronwyn for lunch. When Cooper steps into the cafeteria, the room goes silent. Someone calls out in a high falsetto, “Cooper Clay is Cooper GAY,” and a condom is thrown at Cooper’s chest (259). Addy thinks it was someone from her old lunch table. She notices Nate standing at the entrance with Cooper. Nate asks whether “you losers” seriously care then tells them to “[g]et a life” (259). Vanessa fake-coughs the word “boyfriend” and smirks (259). Nate reminds her that she once stuck her hand down his pants at a party even though he does not know her name and tells her to shut up. He strides to Bronwyn’s lunch table, and they kiss, drawing the attention of the cafeteria and leaving Cooper ignored but frozen in the doorway. Addy pulls him to their lunch table. Luis picks up his tray and moves to their table. Addy reflects that “stuff like this” reveals one’s true friends. Though it turns out she did not have any, she is happy that Cooper does.
Chapters 19-23 Analysis
Part 3, “Truth or Dare,” begins with Chapter 19. Chapters 19 through 23 focus on Bronwyn and Nate’s relationship, further demonstrate Addy’s growth, and see Cooper come out in regard to his sexual orientation.
In Chapter 19, Bronwyn confronts Nate about his lie, but she does so with empathy. She is able to see herself in him, reflecting that she, too, has told a lie so frequently that she began to believe it herself. Nate did not know how to tell Bronwyn the truth about his mother, which reflects his difficulty with emotional transparency. When Nate tells Bronwyn that his mother thought Bronwyn was his girlfriend, Bronwyn tells him that she would like to be. Nate fears he does not know how to be with a girl like Bronwyn, but is willing to try.
Nate reflects on his relationship with his mother and the ways her instability and unreliability have impacted his ability to trust. A conversation with his mother so unsettles him that he takes off for a long ride on his motorcycle. He longs to disappear but recognizes that doing so would be emulating his mother, and he does not want to do that. At the same time, his fear of abandonment is a powerful force. He meets his mother for lunch in Chapter 20 but cannot bear to hear her make promises he does not believe she will keep.
Addy’s friendly overtures to Janae cause Bronwyn concern because she does not trust Janae, who has begun sitting with Addy and Bronwyn during lunch, despite continuing to be unfriendly towards them. Bronwyn wonders if Janae sits with them to eavesdrop, which is likely true, given the later reveal that Jake blackmailed her to help him carry out Simon’s plot. Despite Bronwyn’s suspicions, Addy invites Janae over. The narrative draws readers’ attention to Janae having a large, overstuffed backpack and asking Addy for a drink of water, leaving Janae alone in Addy’s bedroom. When Addy returns, Janae says she’s not feeling well and leaves. Her behavior seems cagey to Addy. Her feelings are validated by the reveal, later in the book, that Janae had intended to plant Simon’s computer and the EpiPens in Addy’s room, on Jake’s order.
In Chapter 20, Cooper reflects on his fear that his father will find out he is gay. Cooper being suspected of steroid use and murder have not changed his relationship with his father, who has never directly asked if either is true, but if he knew Cooper is gay, everything would change between them. Cooper notes that his father assumes gay men hit on straight men. Demonstrating how entrenched corrosive stereotypes can become, Cooper assumed the same of Simon: when Simon drunkenly threw his arm around Cooper’s shoulders after prom, Cooper assumed Simon knew he was gay and was hitting on him. Panicked, Cooper convinced Vanessa to uninvite Simon from her after-prom party. Later that same night, Cooper saw Simon hitting on Keely “with the kind of intensity you can’t fake” but still let Simon be blacklisted from Vanessa’s party (232). Cooper feels haunted by the knowledge that he “acted like a jerk” to Simon because Cooper “couldn’t deal with who [he] was,” and still cannot (232).
Cooper’s decision whether or not to out himself is taken away from him in Chapter 22, when Detective Chang confronts him with Simon’s deciphered original post, in which he outs Cooper for dating a male model. Cooper’s lawyer threatens to sue the police department, but Cooper realizes that the information will get out anyway. He will have to come out to his family. He gathers his parents and Nonny and tells them he is gay, and his fears about his father’s reaction are realized.
At school the next day, in Chapter 23, Cooper pulls Addy aside to tell her what he knows she will hear so that he can choose, at least once, who to reveal himself to. When they get to the cafeteria for lunch, Cooper faces taunts from his classmates, but Nate confronts them, telling them to “[g]et a life” and mocking them for gossiping (259). Vanessa turns her venom on Nate, and he reminds her that she “tried to stick [her] hand down [Nate’s] pants” at the last party they both attended (260). He alludes to her promiscuity, tells her to shut up, then strides over to Bronwyn’s lunch table and kisses her passionately. Nate’s social detachment and personal transparency enable him to diffuse the tension and draw attention away from Cooper. Later in the book, he will brood over his self-proclaimed uselessness, yet he was the only person who vocally and staunchly supported Cooper.
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