Cady describes her friends Gat, Mirren, and Johnny. The Liars have been meeting on the island since they were 8 years old. Cady describes Gat's first arrival with Ed, his father. The grandparents don't seem happy with Ed or with Gat, who are dark-skinned because they are of South Asian descent. But Cady falls in love with Gat instantly. He is very intense and seems "spring-loaded" (10). She thinks he is "[a]mbition and strong coffee" (10). The Liars run away from the adults and make Cuddledown House their home. The tiny beach near the house is the place where their friendship is born and where it will die.

Gat and Cady go for a ride in a motorboat during summer fourteen (that is, when Cady is 14 years old). They swim, and afterwards, they huddle under a blanket together. Their friendship deepens as they begin to invent stories of imaginary places and talk about books. She finds him one day in a hammock at Clairmont House and gets in with him. She writes "Cadence" and "Gat" on the backs of his hands, and he does the same with her hands. She feels as if she possesses him.