Chapter 27

On Monday, Autumn’s black eye becomes a spectacle at school. She and Jamie stick to a carefully shaped version of the sledding accident, and Alex theatrically retells it to classmates, which helps fix the narrative and deflect suspicion. As the bruise fades, remarks shift from curiosity to commentary, leaving Autumn exhausted by week’s end.

On Friday, Autumn encounters Sylvie alone in the restroom. Sylvie greets her, compliments the healing bruise, and says she is trying to be friendly. When pressed only by implication, Sylvie admits Finny asked her to be friendly to Autumn. Confused but compliant, Autumn agrees they can be friendly and leaves.

At lunch, Autumn mentions Sylvie’s approach but withholds that Finny prompted it, so her friends cannot decipher the meaning. The truth clicks when Autumn enters Mr. Laughegan’s class and sees Sylvie perched on Finny’s desk, their fingers intertwined as they talk and laugh.

Autumn realizes Sylvie’s friendliness signaled a reconciliation with Finny. She notes with a small leap of feeling that Finny does not like his girlfriend attacking or spreading rumors about her. The confirmation lands as Sylvie kisses Finny, and Autumn pointedly turns to reading, absorbing that their renewed relationship reinstates a boundary between her and Finny.