Contents
Chapter 24
Overview
Back at Briar, Allie and Dean are seen together by Jim, foreshadowing fallout with Sean. In the night, a drunk, furious Sean confronts Allie, spewing accusations until Garrett removes him. The attack devastates Allie and cements her reliance on Dean, whom she asks Hannah to call for comfort.
Summary
Allie and Dean return to campus before the team bus leaves for Burlington. Dean lingers with unusual intensity and asks to see Allie later. As they unload her suitcase, Sean’s frat brother Jim notices them arriving together from New York, seeding Allie’s dread that news will reach Sean.
After midnight, pounding at the door wakes Allie, Hannah, and Garrett. A drunk Sean demands to talk, and despite Garrett’s warnings, Allie agrees to let him in to avoid a scene. Sean interrogates her about Dean, pushes her guilt buttons, and fixates on whether she cheated.
When Allie admits she and Dean are sleeping together but not a couple, Sean slut-shames her, calls Dean diseased, and implies she needs testing. Allie denies cheating, but Sean escalates, calling her a “disease-ridden whore.” Garrett bursts out, grabs Sean, and forces him out to wait for a taxi.
Humiliated and shaken, Allie breaks down in tears with Hannah comforting her. Needing reassurance and safety, Allie asks Hannah to call Dean and have him come over, signaling how deeply she now relies on him after Sean’s attack.
Who Appears
- Allie HayesReturns to campus with Dean; seen by Jim; endures Sean’s drunken, abusive confrontation; breaks down and asks for Dean’s support.
- SeanEx-boyfriend; shows up drunk at 1 a.m., pounds on the door, accuses, slut-shames Allie; is thrown out by Garrett.
- Dean Di LaurentisLeaves Allie with unusual intensity; linked to her NYC return; becomes the person Allie asks for after Sean’s attack.
- Garrett GrahamProtects Allie; threatens Sean, ejects him, and ensures he gets into a taxi.
- Hannah WellsComforts Allie during her breakdown and agrees to call Dean.
- Jim PaulsonSean’s frat brother who spots Allie and Dean arriving together, triggering Allie’s anxiety.