Content Warning: The source text and this guide describe psychological manipulation and a sexual relationship between an adult man and a minor.

The book opens with a scene of a school auditorium decorated with balloons and heart decorations for a Valentine’s Day dance. The protagonist, Freddy, is getting ready in the school bathroom alongside her three friends, Doodle, Buddy, and Eric. As she applies her makeup, captions—displayed as if in a browser window—narrate an email that Freddy has composed to an advice columnist named Anna Vice. These captions reveal that Freddy is 17 years old and that she lives in Berkeley, California. Freddy also shares that she has been in love with a girl named Laura Dean for the past year, but the relationship has been challenging, as Laura repeatedly breaks up with Freddy.

When Laura finally arrives at the school dance, she quickly leaves Freddy to talk to another girl. Freddy, concerned about Laura’s whereabouts, goes searching for her and discovers Laura in an empty classroom, making out with the other girl. Devastated, Freddy seeks solace on the school steps, where her friends gather to hold and comfort her.