Contents
Chapter 2
Overview
At Debbie’s exclusive pre–Labor Day gathering, Bret’s fraught chemistry with Ryan resurfaces as Ryan arrives, signals interest, then abruptly leaves. Susan reveals a new senior, Robert Mallory, quietly altering the group’s horizon. After a tense, detached sexual encounter with Debbie and a volatile scene with Liz, Steven’s unsettling surveillance hints at darker undercurrents.
Summary
Bret arrives at the Schaffers’ Bel Air barbecue and spots Ryan Vaughn among Thom Wright, Jeff Taylor, and others. Bret recalls his clandestine connection with Ryan from the summer. Ryan crosses to Bret, admits he’s leaving, and resists staying; Debbie’s arrival interrupts. Ryan departs, signaling distance despite private intimacy.
The party settles into food and music while Steven Reinhardt takes photos. Terry Schaffer lounges across the pool, stoned and watchful. Bret reflects on Terry’s harmless flirtations and on how both he and Ryan plan to escape their high-school roles after graduation.
As Debbie rapid-fires plans for senior-year events, Susan announces a surprise: a new senior, Robert Mallory, reportedly from Chicago with a Century City address. The group is curious but not alarmed; Bret briefly wonders why Mallory wouldn’t attend Beverly Hills High given his address.
Bret, distracted by thoughts of Ryan, tries to leave, but Debbie draws him to her bedroom. Despite Debbie’s urgency and cocaine-fueled energy, Bret remains detached; she climaxes quickly while he cannot, unsettled by voices gathering for the screening downstairs.
Exiting, Bret encounters an inebriated Liz Schaffer, who lashes out about Terry’s sexuality. Steven intervenes, gently steering Liz upstairs while signaling Bret to go. Outside in the quiet driveway, Bret sees Steven watching from a second-story window and photographing him, an ominous gesture that propels Bret to drive off toward Hollywood.
Who Appears
- BretNarrator; torn between Debbie’s public romance and a covert attraction to Ryan; observes dysfunction and senses ominous shifts.
- Debbie SchafferBret’s girlfriend; hosts the party, coked-up and controlling; initiates sex; oblivious to deeper tensions.
- Ryan VaughnAloof jock and Bret’s secret fling; briefly appears, declines to stay, signaling caution and distance.
- Susan ReynoldsStudent-body president; announces new senior Robert Mallory, subtly redirecting the group’s focus.
- Thom WrightPopular athlete; social hub presence, largely indifferent to the Mallory news, entwined with Susan.
- Steven ReinhardtSchaffers’ assistant; photographs guests, escorts a drunken Liz, later eerily photographs Bret from a window.
- Liz SchafferDebbie’s mother; drunk, hostile confrontation with Bret about Terry; needs Steven’s intervention.
- Terry SchafferDebbie’s father; stoned by the pool, a flirtatious presence hovering at the party’s margins.
- Jeff TaylorFriend in the core group; reacts warily to news of the new senior; possibly dating Tracy.
- Dominic ThompsonFriend returning from Europe; part of the group’s casual chatter about travel and plans.
- Tracy GoldmanFriend, likely seeing Jeff; engages with the Mallory news at the poolside circle.
- PaulSchaffers’ butler; runs the grill and serves drinks, steady amid party dynamics.