On her way home from school, Laura encounters Amelia in Bryant Park. Amelia tells her that she’s missed “having my cub reporter by my side” (188), a sentiment that gives Laura a thrill. She asks for Laura’s help in publicizing the police crackdown on the church protest, but Laura argues she’s just a student who can’t do much. Amelia then tells Laura that she and Jessie broke up, and finds Laura’s flippant response—“On to the next girlfriend, then?” (190)—patronizing. Laura realizes she’s lost her objectivity; she tells herself that her feelings for Amelia are just a “crush,” and that she just sees her as something she can’t have. She resolves to keep their relationship platonic.

Inside the library, Jack reveals that an agent is interested in his manuscript; he also reports that two more books have been stolen, but since his keys were taken, he’s not a suspect. That night, Laura reads his book and finds it “splendid.”

At the next Heterodoxy Club meeting, Laura is struck by the speaker’s powerful essay and wonders if she’d rather write opinion pieces instead of just reporting objectively. For now, her thesis must adhere to Dr.