All the Bright Places: 2. Violet: 154 days till graduation Summary & Analysis

It’s Friday morning, and Violet is in Mrs. Kresney’s office for her counseling session. Violet is still shaking after being on the belltower ledge, and she waits for Mrs. Kresney to tell her that they’re going to admit her for inpatient psychiatric treatment. But instead, they do what they always do at the start of sessions: exchange pleasantries and talk about Violet’s nightmares, which started after the accident. Violet insists she’s sleeping fine, though she still has nightmares that she’s melting away.

Then, Mrs. Kresney asks about college. A year ago, Violet would’ve loved to talk about college; she and Eleanor used to talk about where they’d go to get away from the small town of Bartlett, Indiana. Mrs. Kresney lists the colleges Violet has applied to but asks why NYU (where Violet has wanted to go since seventh grade) isn’t on the list anymore. Violet says she missed the deadline, but really, she changed her mind after the accident.

Mrs. Kresney then asks about EleanorandViolet.com, which Eleanor and Violet started after they moved to Indiana. The website got really popular last year, but Violet hasn’t touched it since Eleanor died. The site was “about sisters,” and Violet’s words died when she and Eleanor went through the guardrail. The conversation turns to “the accident,” and Violet tells Mrs. Kresney that she doesn’t feel like she’s being punished for it—but privately, she thinks she’s responsible and should be punished. When Mrs. Kresney asks, Violet confirms that she hasn’t been in a car yet and still isn’t participating in cheerleading or student council. She’s not ready. Mrs. Kresney sighs and says that she’s not pleased with Violet’s progress—Violet needs “to remember that [she’s] a survivor.” At this, Violet walks out of the office.

As Violet walks to class, lots of people tell her she was brave for saving Finch from killing himself. Privately, Violet thinks Finch was the worst person she could’ve saved. People either love him or hate him because he does what he wants and is “weird” and “extreme.” Violet is five minutes late to Russian Literature. The teacher, Mrs. Mahone, assigns a 10-page paper, but Violet doesn’t groan like her classmates—she can get out of it since she has “Extenuating Circumstances.” She ignores Mrs. Mahone and focuses on her headache. It’s probably from wearing Eleanor’s glasses, but Violet hopes that if she wears the glasses, she’ll become like Eleanor and won’t have to miss her anymore. Violet has good days and bad days, and the good days make her feel guilty.

The girl behind Violet passes her a note. It’s from Ryan Cross, the best-looking boy in school who was Violet’s boyfriend until last month. The note asks if she really saved Finch, and Violet writes back that she was just there at the right time. When a reply comes back to her, she doesn’t open it. Lots of people, including the old Violet, would love to get a note from Ryan. When the bell rings, Violet stays in her seat. She used to be able to write anything—but since the accident, she can’t bring herself to write. She knows that teachers go easy on her because she’s still grieving. Sure enough, when Mrs. Mahone notices Violet, she tells her to just write “a page or a paragraph.” Satisfied, Violet leaves the classroom; Ryan has been waiting for her in the hallway. Over Ryan’s shoulder, she sees Finch strut past and nod.