After the photo circulated on social media, Claudia felt a growing distance between herself and Monday. Monday didn’t call as often or join Claudia in the library after school as much. Sometimes, she didn’t attend school at all and when she returned, she seemed famished and parched, her clothes and hair a mess. 

When they did spend time together, they danced, but Monday’s dancing lacked passion and soul.

The morning after the party, the news reports that the body of a young girl has been found in the woods in Baltimore. Claudia burns with embarrassment, replaying her first kiss over and over. She was sick twice in the taxi on the way back and only slept a few minutes before Megan’s mom turned on the news.

Michael calls Megan’s phone to check up on Claudia since she wasn’t in church. Ma has invited him to dinner; he asks if Claudia wants him there. She does. The mood lightens, and Claudia apologizes for last night. Michael reassures her but then says, “We’re friends, right?” (315). Claudia worries that she ruined things with him by moving too fast, like Monday. The other girls insist that Michael really likes her.