Contents
Chapter 53
Overview
Mabel visits Mr. Loukas’s house and is confronted by his fiancée, Tessa, who reveals he previously pursued a student at another school. Realizing she was being groomed, Mabel’s feelings flip to fury, and she sabotages his car before fleeing home. Cess senses trouble but offers quiet, practical care.
Summary
THEN: Mabel arrives at Mr. Loukas’s house seeking comfort after a harrowing night, but an unfamiliar woman opens the door. When Mr. Loukas appears, he avoids eye contact and offers no reassurance. The woman, Tessa, demands answers, and the absence of a phone excuse heightens Mabel’s embarrassment and confusion.
On the path outside, Tessa grabs Mabel and bluntly asks what is happening with her fiancé. Tessa reveals that Mr. Loukas had a relationship with a student at his last school in Adelaide and moved here afterward, with Tessa following. She mocks Mabel’s appearance and frames Loukas’s behavior as an “illness” or “fetish.”
Confronted with the reality that Mr. Loukas is engaged and a repeat offender, Mabel’s romantic fantasy collapses. Feeling betrayed and furious, she kicks his car and then punctures a tire with her compass, embracing the “Mad Mabel” persona as a channel for her pain and rage.
Mabel runs home to Cess, who scolds her for being late and notices the marks on Mabel’s arm. Mabel lies about going to the library and tripping in a garden bed. Though unconvinced, Cess doesn’t press, ordering a bath and leaving a reheated meal outside Mabel’s door—silent evidence of concern and care.
Who Appears
- Mabel (Elsie)Teen narrator; learns Mr. Loukas is engaged and predatory; vents rage by puncturing his tire; lies to Cess.
- TessaMr. Loukas’s fiancée; confronts Mabel, reveals his prior student affair; grabs Mabel’s arm, leaving marks.
- Mr. Loukas (Jim)History teacher; evasive as fiancée exposes his predation; offers no support; target of Mabel’s retaliation.
- CessMabel’s guardian; worries and scolds, notices injuries, doesn’t press; shows care with a hot meal.