Summary

Shelby and Ben date all the way through spring. They have sex in the basement. Ben is sweet and kind and gentle, focused on behaving like a proper boyfriend. He introduces himself to Sue and she hosts in her home. These kind actions annoy Shelby. Shelby moves to NYC with Ben. She moves in with him because she is “haunted” (34) on Long Island. She still feels haunted in New York. She takes Ativan during the day and pretends to be fine when Ben comes home from school, but Shelby does not feel fine. She sees nothing but sadness surrounding her in the city. Ben tells Shelby that he is in love with her, but she gives a callous response. She scolds him by saying, “Love is a false construct. It’s how people convince themselves that life is worth living” (42).

Shelby decides to get...