Opening
A fake-dating pact pulls two guarded teens into real crisis. As Brett Wells and Becca Hart stumble from charming dates and high school parties into family implosions and betrayal, they learn to tell the difference between the story they sell and the truth they live. These chapters push their pretend romance into an honest partnership.
What Happens
Chapter 6: The Old Arcade
Still stung by his father skipping his game, Brett Wells picks up Becca Hart for their first “date.” She brings “jelly bells” from her mom’s bakery, softening his mood. Brett surprises her with an old arcade that looks abandoned but still runs thanks to Samson, the owner Brett once helped as a teen. The place is a refuge threaded with his childhood memories.
They play Skee-Ball Twenty Questions and trade specifics: Brett’s first kiss, Becca’s closeness to her mom, Brett’s afternoons here with his dad. Becca admits Brett isn’t the shallow jock she expected, anchoring the theme of Appearance vs. Reality. When she asks if he regrets their fake relationship, he tells her “No,” and she agrees. On the drive home, Becca shares hard-earned advice from growing up with an absent dad: focus on the times his father showed up, not the one time he didn’t.
Chapter 7: A Sister and a Secret
At home, Becca lies to her mother, Amy Hart, and says she was with Cassie. Amy quickly uncovers the truth—and thrills over the date with Brett. The next morning at the bakery, Becca notices her mom’s financial worry and a stack of promotional flyers, a quiet strain that deepens the theme of Family Dysfunction and Secrets.
Jenny McHenry walks in. Their exchange is brittle, but Jenny surprises Becca by saying she “could have told” her and by grabbing a full stack of flyers on her way out. After work, Becca drifts toward her father’s neighborhood and freezes at the sight of a pink stork sign on his lawn: a new baby, Penelope. When his new wife comes outside and doesn’t recognize her, Becca panics, claims she’s “Cassie,” and runs—shaken by the sudden reality of a half-sister and the depth of her father’s new life.
Chapter 8: Whispers and Marsh Parties
Brett’s dad, Thomas Wells, returns, but dinner is tense. His mom, Willa Wells, spirals when she hears Thomas must leave again, spilling wine and crying. Later, Brett overhears their hushed argument; his dad breaks tradition by bringing no souvenir home. The family’s glossy surface fractures.
At school, Brett confides in Becca. Before they can process, Jeff invites them to the marsh party at Lovers’ Lake—Becca surprisingly says yes to make their relationship look convincing. Then Jeff produces a jelly bell and a Hart’s Cupcakes flyer, proof Jenny has been handing them out around the team. Confused but flattered, Becca and Brett trade flirty lines; he tells her she’ll be the first girl he’s ever taken to Lovers’ Lake.
Chapter 9: Lovers’ Lake
The party at Lovers’ Lake is muddy, loud, and pure high school. Brett rides a post-game high, but Becca notes his parents’ second straight absence. Becca confronts Jenny about the flyers and their broken friendship; they reach a fragile truce. To show why they must keep things quiet around Jeff, Brett starts a rumor that rockets through the crowd within minutes.
Feeling bold, Becca kisses Brett—this time charged with real emotion—pushing them into the complicated space of The Nature of Love and Heartbreak. They escape to the lakeshore and talk honestly about college and the fear of what comes next. Later, at a diner Brett used to visit with his dad, he watches Thomas pull into the lot holding hands with a woman who isn’t Willa. Panicked, he speeds off until Becca calms him. The truth settles: his father is cheating. To stop spiraling, Brett asks Becca to read aloud from her book.
Chapter 10: The Truth
Clinging to denial, Brett calls Becca and they team up to verify what he saw—shifting them toward Coming of Age and Self-Discovery. They fail to get into Thomas’s password-protected computer, then chase flight records that appear to match the Ohio itinerary.
The lead collapses. Becca phones the Ohio hotel: no reservation under Thomas’s name. With hope gone, Brett searches his parents’ room and finds nothing. Sitting beside him, Becca shares the ache of her parents’ divorce and the long years without answers. With her steady presence, he finally says the words out loud: his dad is having an affair. Becca holds his hand, and the fake-dating script is gone; they are partners now.
Character Development
Brett and Becca stop performing and start choosing each other. As their families’ secrets surface, both shift from image-management to emotional honesty.
- Brett Wells: Moves from invincible quarterback to vulnerable son confronting betrayal. He lets Becca see his fear, accepts comfort, and asks for help instead of hiding.
- Becca Hart: Leaves her safe routines, attends the party, faces Jenny, and confronts the shock of a half-sister. She channels her history of abandonment into empathy and practical support for Brett.
- Jenny McHenry: Complicates her mean-girl image by expressing regret and quietly promoting the bakery, hinting at guilt and a desire for repair.
- Thomas and Willa Wells: Their marriage’s cracks show—his absences, her unraveling composure—undercutting the family’s pristine reputation.
Themes & Symbols
The tension between how things look and what they are drives every scene. Appearance vs. Reality surfaces in Brett’s unlikely sweetness at the arcade, the glossy Wells image splitting at the seams, and a fake relationship that becomes the most sincere part of their lives. Family Dysfunction and Secrets echo across both homes: Becca’s father builds a new family without her, and Brett discovers infidelity that rewrites his past.
The Nature of Love and Heartbreak emerges in contradictions: a tender kiss born from a lie, a romantic lake that breeds rumors, a father-son tradition shattered in a diner parking lot. Symbols anchor these shifts. “Jelly bells” are comfort and care—small, consistent acts that build trust—while Lovers’ Lake turns into a mirror for messy truth: a place where gossip swirls and real feelings refuse to stay buried.
Key Quotes
“No.” Brett’s immediate answer to whether he regrets their fake relationship marks a turning point. Beneath the performance, he chooses Becca—clear, simple, and real.
“You could have told me.” Jenny’s line plants the possibility of remorse and reconnection. It cracks open the narrative that she’s only an antagonist and shows her watching Becca from the periphery, wanting in.
“You’ll be the first girl I’ve ever taken to Lovers’ Lake.” Brett reframes a cliché party spot as something meaningful. The promise signals he’s letting Becca cross from pretend to personal territory.
“My dad’s having an affair.” Speaking the truth gives shape to Brett’s fear and starts the grieving. Becca’s quiet confirmation creates the safe container their families fail to provide.
Why This Matters and Section Significance
Chapters 6–10 pivot the novel from a light setup to its emotional core. The arcade date, party, and kiss feel quintessentially teen, but each moment carries a counterweight: absent parents, hidden debts, whispered fights, and a diner-door betrayal. The fake relationship becomes a lifeline as Becca and Brett step into adulthood’s hardest lessons—naming what hurts, believing each other, and telling the truth even when it breaks their world.