Chapter 26

After school on Bonfire Day, Daphne insists on walking Mabel home and leads her to a beach bonfire crowded with classmates, including Billy Harris, his brothers, the twins Dolly and Tammy, and Christos. The group initially mocks Mabel as “Beanstalk,” but Mabel’s sharp retort briefly earns surprised approval.

When the game shifts to truth or dare, the group demands Billy take a dare. Fred dares Billy to kiss Mabel. Billy forces an aggressive kiss, which Mabel rejects, provoking his anger and the crowd’s uneasy silence.

Stung, Billy escalates, calling Mabel a “stuck-up bitch,” then jeers that she should be grateful. As Mabel and Daphne attempt to leave, Billy shouts that everyone knows Mabel killed her baby sister, branding her “Mad Mabel.” The others show recognition; only Christos appears confused.

Hearing Billy echo her father’s favorite phrase—“pretty as a picture”—Mabel realizes her father likely told the neighborhood she killed Kitty. A raw, primal rage rises in Mabel. Climbing the car park stairs with Billy still taunting, she recognizes this as the moment she truly became “Mad Mabel.”