Summary

In mid-April, a few weeks after her abortion, Lexie asked Mia to accompany her back to the clinic for a follow-up appointment. Ever since Lexie had stayed at her house to recover, Pearl felt their roles had been reversed. Lexie had left behind a t-shirt and instead of giving it back, Pearl wore it to school and felt "prettier, wittier," and sassier...to the amusement of her classmates and teachers alike" (271). With this borrowed confidence and a note in his locker, Pearl invites Trip to meet-up after school. She lied to Moody about her after school schedule in order to sneak away with Trip and sleep with him in her own house for the first time. With a hint from Tim Michael and a wve of intuition, to Moody's horrified surprise, he found the couple holding hands in her front yard. Pearl and...