Contents
Chapter 3
Overview
In a flashback, Ellie fixates on a B+ in maths and, driven by pride and her relationship with high-achieving Theo, demands a private tutor. Laurel can’t afford it and suggests school alternatives, which Ellie rejects. Ellie frames these refusals as the earliest missteps that steer her toward catastrophe.
Summary
Then: Ellie narrates how a seemingly small event—a B+ in maths—becomes, in hindsight, the first wrong turn. Wanting to match or surpass her boyfriend Theo, Ellie equates the grade with failure and arrives home spoiling for a fight.
Ellie vents at Laurel, calling her teacher “shit,” though she privately blames herself for underperforming. She demands a private tutor to secure her GCSE result, expecting Laurel to fix the problem.
Laurel, at the sink, says they can’t afford a tutor and proposes practical alternatives: the after-school maths club or an inexpensive sixth-form tutor paid in “a few quid and a slice of cake.”
Ellie refuses, deeming these options embarrassing and inadequate. She doubles down, citing peers who get private tuition and offering to fund it herself, pushing until the conversation hardens.
Looking back, Ellie identifies each decision point—her pride, her need to keep up with Theo, her rejection of affordable help—as “kinks” where she might have saved herself, but didn’t, setting the path toward what will come.
Who Appears
- Ellie MackFlashback narrator; distressed by a B+ in maths, pushes for a private tutor, rejects cheaper options, sensing these choices begin her downfall.
- Laurel MackEllie’s mother; cannot afford private tuition and suggests after-school club or a sixth-form tutor.
- Theo GoodmanEllie’s boyfriend; high-achieving in maths, indirectly fueling Ellie’s competitive pressure and pride.
- Ellie’s maths teacherTarget of Ellie’s anger after her B+; represents her displaced blame for underperforming.