Bye Forever, I Guess

Ingrid Ant is a shy eighth-grader in Deer Hill, Virginia, who lives with her guardian, Grandma Jo, after losing her parents a few years earlier. She harbors a secret: She is Anony Mouse, the anonymous creator of "Bye Forever, I Guess," a massively popular account on the social media platform Scrollr that posts misdirected text messages. The account's name comes from a stranger's sign-off in the first wrong-number text Ingrid received. Only three people know her identity: Grandma; her long-distance best friend, Lorren Watson, whom she met through the online game Ancient Tomes Online (ATO); and her real-life best friend, Rachel Allan.

On the last day of winter break, Rachel pressures Ingrid to reveal herself as Anony Mouse, insisting it would make her popular. Ingrid refuses. Rachel has grown exhausting, subjecting Ingrid to constant loyalty tests and criticizing her hobbies. That afternoon, Grandma takes Ingrid to welcome the Archers, a family who moved into an old farmhouse nearby. Their eighth-grade children, Alyx and Oliver, are warm and engaging, but Ingrid leaves early, retreating from connection as she always does.

On the first day of the spring semester, Rachel befriends the Archers at school, claiming credit for discovering them. At their cafeteria table, she pressures Ingrid to reveal the scroll. When Ingrid refuses, Rachel announces that Ingrid lost her parents, framing herself as the compassionate friend helping Ingrid "come out of her shell." Devastated, Ingrid walks away from Rachel's table and sits at the Invisibles, a table where students go to be alone, governed by an unspoken rule of silence. She tells Grandma she is done with Rachel for good.

Meanwhile, a heartfelt wrong-number text arrives from an unknown sender addressed to someone named Rachel, praising her as generous, funny, smart, and beautiful. Ingrid lets the sender know they have the wrong number. The sender later submits their conversation to "Bye Forever, I Guess" without realizing Ingrid is Anony Mouse, then texts to apologize. A warm exchange begins. When the sender mentions struggling with ATO, Ingrid invites him to join her and Lorren's gaming group. He accepts under the screen name Traveler, and the three play together regularly.

At school, Oliver spots Ingrid at the Invisibles table and waves her over. Rachel seizes the moment, loudly inviting Ingrid back in front of the entire eighth grade. Ingrid freezes. Rachel spins the story to make Oliver and Alyx believe Ingrid abandoned them. After the bell, one of the Invisibles tells Ingrid not to sit there anymore; Rachel's display violated the table's unspoken code. Left with nowhere to eat, Ingrid retreats to the library.

During algebra, Ingrid finds a note in her backpack reading "Bye forever, I guess." Panicked that someone has discovered her identity, she and Lorren settle on Oliver as the suspect. Ingrid confronts him, and Oliver admits he placed the note but insists he meant it differently than she took it. Ingrid tells him to leave her alone. Oliver promises he will, and Ingrid feels immediate guilt.

Ingrid's texts with Traveler deepen into a daily ritual. They discuss loneliness, family, and feeling invisible. Traveler reveals he is lonely at his new school and tried to befriend someone locally, but it went badly. He mentions he is "over" his Rachel because she gave him a wrong number on purpose. Ingrid admits to Lorren that she has a crush on Traveler.

On an icy January night, a power outage brings Oliver and his father to Ingrid's house after they spot a small fire near a downed power line. Grandma invites them in for cocoa. Ingrid texts Traveler from across the couch, complaining about the unwelcome visitor, never realizing Oliver is the person on the other end. Traveler responds with empathy.

Ingrid works on two knitting projects: an elaborate hat for the author P.J. Clarke depicting scenes from her fantasy series, the Essa Lightborne Chronicles, and a green hat, scarf, and mittens for Oliver. On Valentine's Day, Traveler's submission goes live on the scroll, and the eighth grade becomes convinced the romantic text was meant for Rachel. At the town festival, Rachel declares the post was meant for her. Ingrid is devastated: If true, Traveler only texted her because Rachel gave him her number as revenge. Oliver, unseen by Ingrid, buys her a heart-shaped donut.

Over the following weeks, Oliver and Ingrid develop an unspoken truce, passing the donut back and forth with sticky notes. When Lorren tries to exchange real names during an ATO session, Traveler declines, admitting he is terrified. Eventually, Ingrid gives Oliver the green knit set. In their most honest conversation, Oliver admits that meeting Ingrid felt real in a way nothing else has. Ingrid tells him he does not have to be lonely because she is his friend. Oliver mentions he plans to attend the P.J. Clarke signing in Arlington, Virginia.

That evening, Traveler tells Ingrid he will also be at the signing and wants to meet her in person. He promises to reveal his name but confesses he fears she will not like him. Late that night, he sends a vulnerable text about thinking of her constantly and wanting to hold her hand at school. They exchange photos of what they will wear so they can find each other.

At the signing, Ingrid presents her knit hat to P.J. Clarke, who is astonished, hugs her, and wears it for photos. From the back of the room, Oliver watches in the green hat Ingrid made him. Afterward, Traveler texts Ingrid photos of her with the author. She scans the crowd, spots a tall boy in a cream sweater, and when he turns, their eyes meet. It is Oliver. Traveler and Oliver are the same person.

Ingrid freezes, processing the implications: Rachel told the truth; Oliver heard every complaint she made about him while texting as Traveler; he kept two identities because he was terrified of losing her. Oliver interprets her silence as rejection and texts: "Bye forever, I guess." Ingrid panics, runs outside, and throws her arms around him. He was not leaving, he explains; he was giving her space while making sure she got home safely.

In a nearby café, Oliver explains the timeline: He suspected during the tree-fire visit when Ingrid mentioned dropping her phone, tried to signal with the note, and after she rejected him, kept being her friend as Traveler because he could not bear to lose her. Ingrid tells him she is glad it is him and no one else. They sit pressed together, holding hands.

When Rachel and Alyx arrive unexpectedly, Ingrid confronts Rachel directly: Rachel made Ingrid feel like an accessory, exploited her parents' deaths, and treated their friendship as self-promotion. Ingrid reveals she is Anony Mouse and that Rachel gave Oliver her number knowing the texts would generate attention for Rachel on the scroll. Alyx turns on Rachel, furious that she used her brother. As Rachel hurries out, Ingrid calls after her: "Bye. Forever."

In the aftermath, Alyx apologizes and promises to keep Ingrid's identity secret. Ingrid mails Lorren a signed copy of The Light Returns with a card that says what she has long struggled to express: "You are my best friend." Grandma arranges for Lorren to visit that summer. Ingrid visits the renovated Archer farmhouse, where Oliver looks right at her. The novel closes with Ingrid reflecting that sometimes, it felt really good to be seen.