If He Had Been with Me
by Laura Nowlin
Contents
Chapter 6
Overview
Autumn leans into a new, self-defined style by buying and wearing a tiara, earning Jamie’s warm approval. Sasha juggles a crying baby-doll project, providing comic relief and public awkwardness. The friends share carefree laughter at the movies, and Autumn notes the deceptive fullness of their first-semester happiness.
Summary
Autumn and Sasha shop at the mall while Sasha manages a crying electronic baby for a Family Science project. A wary saleslady misconstrues the doll as real, prompting Autumn to clarify, and the moment underlines how the girls are seen versus who they feel they are.
As they browse, Autumn experiments with her evolving style, choosing a black faux-corset to pair with a cardigan and, later, discovering a rhinestone tiara in a jewelry store. Drawn to the contrast of playful royalty with casual clothes, Autumn decides to wear the tiara daily, embracing a quirky identity.
The group meets outside the movie theater, where Jamie greets Autumn’s tiara with affectionate approval. During the film, the doll cries again, sending Autumn and Sasha into the hall to reset it; they laugh together, fully in the moment, despite onlookers’ stares.
The chapter closes on Autumn’s reflection that first semester felt easy and bright, the kind of happiness that tempts belief in unending joy, foreshadowing that this carefree phase will not last.
Who Appears
- AutumnNarrator; experiments with identity, buys a tiara to wear daily, relishes a carefree semester.
- SashaAutumn’s friend; manages a crying baby-doll project, jokes about abstinence, shares laughter in the theater hallway.
- JamieAutumn’s boyfriend; meets them at the movies and warmly approves her tiara.
- AlexSasha’s boyfriend; part of the group meeting at the theater during the outing.