One of Us is Lying: Chapter 13 Summary & Analysis

Friday afternoon, Cooper visits Nonny in the hospital. She has had a heart attack, but a minor one, and is back to feeling like her old self again. She asks him to fill her in on the Simon Kelleher situation, and he tells her everything about the “mess” that has unfolded at school. Cooper’s grandmother comforts him and assures him that though things seem bad now, things always get worse before they get better. She insists she’s going to pay for Cooper’s legal fees out of her own savings—she is more than happy to do so.

Nonny asks how things are with Keely, and Cooper replies that she’s been acting clingy. Nonny tells him that if Keely’s not the one, that would be all right. She admits she has noticed that Cooper doesn’t seem happy with Keely, and tells him not to let himself get trapped in an unfair situation. When Nonny changes the subject and sends Cooper out into the hall to find his brother, Cooper worries that everyone will find out that there is “more to [his] story” than getting accused of steroids.

Near midnight, Nate arrives home from a party. After a tense encounter with his father, who looks jaundiced and shaky and alludes to having spent the day drinking and hallucinating, Nate retreats to his room and calls Bronwyn. He half-jokingly asks her to come over and watch a movie—he can tell she is actually considering it before deciding that she’d be in too much trouble if they were found out. The two fall half-asleep watching the movie, as Nate ignores a series of texts from his frequent hookup, Amber. Bronwyn tells Nate she has to hang up, as her burner phone is almost out of minutes; Nate promises to get her another one tomorrow.