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Chapter 13
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in One of Us is Lying, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Stereotypes and Unlikely Connections
Gossip, Secrets, and Lies
Wisdom of the Youth
Millennial Problems
Summary
Analysis
On Saturday morning, Ashton is trying to come up with things for to do, but Addy is depressed—since she was 14, her weekends have been all about hanging out with Jake, and she can hardly remember what she used to do to fill her time before their relationship. Addy tells Ashton to stop “babysit[ting]” her and go home to her husband, Charlie; Ashton reveals that she caught her husband cheating on her a week ago. Addy tries to comfort her sister—even though she knows that she herself is a cheater. Ashton thanks Addy for her sympathy, but concedes that her marriage has been over for a long time, at least emotionally.
Addy is in a unique position for the first time in her life. She gets a fresh start—but she doesn’t quite see things that way. She is so caught up in the identity she constructed for herself that she can barely make a connection to who she once was—and yet, with the help of her sister, she begins to see that the end of a relationship isn’t necessarily the end of everything.
Themes
Having revealed a secret to Addy, Ashton now asks for one in return; she wants to know why Addy lied about being in the nurse’s office on the day of Simon’s death. Addy reveals that she didn’t go to the nurse’s office for herself—she went to get Tylenol for Jake, but didn’t want to say so in front of Ashton because she didn’t want her sister to judge her for being Jake’s “doormat.” Ashton tells Addy she’s not a doormat, and comforts Addy as she breaks down and cries from the stress of everything that’s happened.
In this passage, Addy reveals that she was being cagey all along because she knew how bad and out of control things were with Jake—but she was afraid to fully admit it.
Themes
Addy and Ashton rent bicycles and go out for an afternoon of cycling. Cooper texts Addy to ask if she’s attending a big party tonight, but Addy says she isn’t. Cooper tries to persuade her to come be with friends, but Addy feels surprisingly grateful not to have to go to another one of Jake’s friends’ parties and be subject to his controlling nature.
With the help of her sister, Addy is able to see how oppressive things were with Jake—and how lucky she is to be able to make a new start and figure out who she is independently of a man.
Themes
Saturday morning, Bronwyn finishes her daily run and goes to pick Maeve up from the library. Bronwyn finds her sister on the fourth floor using one of the library’s computers to access the admin panel for Simon’s original About That app—she is using a public computer to avoid being traced. She has discovered that there is an earlier file bearing Cooper’s name, but it’s encrypted; additionally, she has traced Simon’s username on the site to an account on the popular forum 4chan. Maeve wants to come back to the library later with a thumb drive to collect more information, and she logs out. On the way downstairs, she confesses to Bronwyn that a little while ago she ran into Simon at the library—she took his card, and, once he left, used the public computer’s search history to get the blog’s information.
Maeve, who has spent a lot of her life being sick and prevented from doing things other kids do, has learned how to use technology to make her mark on the world. A master hacker, she is adept as Simon at uncovering other people’s secrets—though her hobby is a little on the dangerous side. Still, in this passage, she reveals that she has managed to uncover some information that could make a significant difference; she has used technology to her advantage in order to make an important connection for her sister.
Themes
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On the way home, Maeve and Bronwyn stop at a neighborhood nearby—Nate has left another burner phone for Bronwyn in a mailbox at a random address. Maeve knows all about Bronwyn’s clandestine communication with Nate, and teases her sister for having a crush.
Maeve doesn’t judge Bronwyn or try to deter her from connecting with Nate—she knows how invested Bronwyn is in Nate, and how much their relationship gives her comfort.
Themes
Saturday night, Cooper arrives at his friend Olivia’s party to find that things have already gotten messy—people are puking in the rose bushes, and a drunk Jake approaches Cooper and immediately begins excoriating him for defending Addy—his “whore ex-girlfriend”—to “anybody who’ll listen.” Jake reveals that when he was in junior high, his mother cheated on his father and the resulting drama tore their family apart.
At Olivia’s party, Cooper uncovers some crucial information which explains—though it doesn’t excuse—Jake’s cruel treatment of Addy in the wake of her confession.
Themes
Cooper’s friend Luis comes over and hands him a beer. He asks if Cooper is going to Simon’s house tomorrow; Cooper is confused, and Luis explains that Simon’s mother asked several students to come over and take something of his to remember him by before his parents pack his things away. Luis realizes that Cooper, of course, has not been invited. Olivia comes over, wrapping an arm around Luis’s waist, and asks Cooper if he’s seen the Sunday edition of the newspaper, which was posted online earlier that evening; there’s an article all about Simon, and it includes Bronwyn, Cooper, Addy, and Nate—as “persons of interest.”
Cooper’s life has changed so dramatically that he can’t even attend a party with his friends and forget about the investigation for a while. Olivia’s information seems to portend that things are about to get even worse for Cooper, Bronwyn, Addy, and Nate.
Themes
