Only If You're Lucky

Two weeks after Lucy’s disappearance, Detective Frank returns to the house with a warrant to search the property. Margot notes that Lucy’s phone is dead and is hidden under her bed for the police to find. Nicole, Sloane, and Margot tell Frank that they don’t know where Lucy is and that they’re also worried about her now. Frank asks if they saw Lucy and Levi alone the night he died, and they say they did not. Frank comments that other people saw them alone, and Margot confronts him, saying that she can’t speak to what other people say. Frank asks why Lucy’s blood was on Levi’s clothing.

The morning after the party, Margot, Sloane, Nicole, and Lucy gather in the living room to discuss the previous night. Lucy pokes fun at Margot for being paranoid, adding that the drug she gave her was ecstasy, and Margot remembers telling Lucy that she wished Levi died instead of Eliza. Sloane asks Nicole where she was all evening, and Nicole says that she went to the Kappa Nu house early, drank too fast, and spent the whole time with Trevor. Lucy notes that Trevor was outside alone for a while, and Nicole assumes that she fell asleep. She recoils when Margot reaches out to touch her leg. Margot asks about the bruises on her arms, and Nicole says that they’re probably from Trevor carrying her around, adding that she bruises easily. Margot recalls previous incidents when Nicole got bruised, and Nicole remarks that she should eat dinner before drinking.

Later that day, Nicole and Trevor have a fight, making everyone uncomfortable and tense. Nicole and Sloane leave for Thanksgiving break, so Lucy and Margot are alone in the house. The two head to the Kappa Nu house, and Margot debates telling Lucy about finding Nicole in the bathroom. Nicole asked Margot not to say anything, insisting that she wanted to forget that night, but Margot has noticed Nicole and Levi avoiding each other, hinting that something happened between them the night of the party. Margot doesn’t think that Nicole and Trevor will break up, which would mean that the women would need to find a new apartment. In the shed, Margot is shocked by a dead deer hanging from the ceiling, but Lucy comments that hunting season is starting and that she hopes the men will cook them dinner. Margot isn’t sure she wants to eat the deer, and she asks which men stayed behind for break. Lucy names Trevor, Lucas, James, and Will, adding that Levi is staying too. Margot freezes, and Lucy tells her to stand her ground since she came to Rutledge first. Margot says that Levi makes her feel guilty, and Margot is startled when Lucy says Eliza’s name. Margot remembers deciding not to call or pick up Eliza the night she died, feeling spiteful and guilty.

Lucy and Margot join Trevor, James, Lucas, Will, and Levi for a “Friendsgiving” the day before Thanksgiving to eat the deer. The bloody meat and the drops of blood on the walls and ceiling of the kitchen disturb Margot. At dinner, Trevor pays attention to Margot, drawing a suggestive stare from Lucy. James killed the deer, and Lucy references their earlier conversation on the morality of murder, noting how it’s interesting that James was willing to kill an animal. Later, Lucy sits with Levi and asks him to pick truth or dare. Margot and Levi protest, but Trevor notes Levi’s obligations as a pledge. Lucy asks what Levi is most afraid of, and Levi says heights and small spaces, making Margot conjure the image of Eliza again and eliciting chuckles and grins from the other men.

That night, Margot lies awake, thinking about how Lucy behaved when the men were over. She sees how Lucy and Eliza are eerily similar, and she suspects that is why Lucy is taking a specific interest in Levi. She hears the same sounds she heard on Halloween and gets up to investigate. Noticing that Lucy is gone, she wonders if she went to the Kappa Nu house. However, the only boy she could imagine Lucy with is Levi, which makes her nervous. She hears another sound, distinctly above her, like someone walking on the roof.

Going outside, Margot yells up to the roof to see if anyone is there. Lucy pops up with a cigarette, and Margot asks if she’s alone. Lucy says that she is and asks who else would be up there with her. Margot is ashamed that she asked and climbs up the lattice on the side of the house to join Lucy. Lucy says that she comes up to the roof periodically to think, and Margot thinks about how that is something Eliza would have done. However, if Lucy were Eliza, Margot probably would be on the ground telling her to come down. Margot comments that the sounds she heard seemed to come from both above and below her. Lucy asks if Margot heard the same noises on Halloween that she heard tonight, and Margot says she did. Lucy tells Margot about the crawl space under the house, which is too small to stand in, revealing that the Kappa Nu pledges must spend a certain amount of time in the crawl space as part of the hazing ritual. The door to the space locks from the outside, though they leave it open when a pledge is inside. Margot recalls Levi saying that he was afraid of heights and small spaces, noting that he wasn’t afraid of heights on the night Eliza died. Lucy asks if Margot really wishes that Levi died instead of Eliza, and Margot says that Eliza didn’t deserve to die, while Levi did.

Margot asks Frank how they know it was Lucy’s blood on Levi’s clothes, and Frank tells them that Lucy’s parents provided a comparison for a DNA match. Frank says that the blood confirms that Lucy and Levi were in close proximity the night Levi died, and he asks if Levi hurt Lucy or any of the women, adding that they know about Levi’s background. Margot remembers Lucy bleeding from her hand, lifting her fingers to her mother to clean them off. Sloane, Nicole, and Margot say that it “wasn’t like that” (184), meaning that Levi didn’t hurt them, leading to a long silence. Frank asks the women to step outside while the police search the house.

On the roof, Lucy admits that she knows Danny DeMarcus from high school but lied because she doesn’t want to bring her past with her. Her graduating class had only nine students, and she felt suffocated by her small town, seeking Rutledge as an escape. Margot realizes that Eliza must have felt the same way. Lucy confesses that she doesn’t go home, and Margot recalls how Lucy stayed on campus over the summer and during Thanksgiving break. Lucy says that she doesn’t get along with her mother and her father didn’t understand how “bad things were” (191). Lucy shows Margot her necklace, made of diamonds in the shapes of constellations, and says that her father gave it to her because she’s named after the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” Lucy points out constellations in the sky to Margot, holding her hand and tracing the outline of Gemini.

Sloane returns from break, and Margot tells her that she and Lucy didn’t do much over the break. Margot reflects on her conversation with Lucy, wondering if she told the others about Margot’s past but noting how she’s feeling more comfortable around Lucy. Sloane comments on Nicole’s weight loss and asks if Margot knows what happened on Halloween. Margot confesses how she found Nicole vomiting in the bathroom and tells Sloane that Levi was in the house that night, not mentioning its crawl space. Margot imagines Levi entering the house to avoid the crawl space. She and Sloane agree that they should start locking the doors.

After finals, everyone prepares to go home for winter break except Lucy. Margot offers to bring Lucy home with her, imagining Lucy sad and eating leftovers for a month, but Lucy declines. At home, Margot’s parents greet her and ask her about college, and Margot feels like her parents’ marriage and relationship with her are transactional. Margot’s mother accompanies her to her room and asks her why she’s avoiding her parents and her home. Margot is surprised that her mother realized how she distanced herself from them and tries to deflect to schoolwork. Her mother suggests visiting the Jeffersons, but Margot is uncomfortable with that. Her mother tells her that the building where Eliza died is being demolished in three weeks, and they agree that it should have been destroyed earlier. Margot remembers the videos on social media of Eliza and Levi going to the building (which overlooks the beach) where Eliza howled at the full moon and fell to her death.

Margot lies awake in her bed, reflecting on how she avoids home. She remembers the conversation that ended her friendship with Eliza, which happened in her room shortly before Eliza’s death. Eliza was texting with Levi, and Margot was shocked that Eliza forgave him for breaking into her house. Eliza said that Levi denied doing that and that she might have misplaced the picture or Margot might have taken it and blamed it on Levi. Margot was offended, saying that she would never do that, but Eliza noted how Margot collected things. Eliza thought Margot was trying to break up her and Levi, telling Margot that she didn’t need her protection. Eliza felt like Margot was jealous and didn’t want her to have other friends or a boyfriend. Margot said that Levi was obsessed with Eliza, and she responded that Margot was obsessed with her too. Margot was deeply hurt by Eliza’s comment, and Eliza tried to apologize. Margot kicked Eliza out of her room, assuring her that Levi would hurt her one day and adding that Eliza shouldn’t call Margot when that happens.

Margot receives a text from Mr. Jefferson saying that he would like to see her. Margot remembers her conversation with him shortly after Eliza died. Mr. Jefferson asked Margot if Eliza said anything that might indicate what happened that night. Margot rejected the idea of Eliza dying by suicide. Margot lied, saying that nothing unusual happened and that everyone loved Eliza. Margot feels an obligation to lie for Eliza, even now that she’s dead, but admits to Mr. Jefferson that Levi was obsessed with her. Margot tells Mr. Jefferson how Levi watched Eliza in her room, adding that she thinks Levi is a bad person, though she isn’t sure why. Mr. Jefferson notes how difficult parenting is, and he and Margot sit in silence as Margot stares at Levi’s window in the house next door until the light turns off.

Margot talks with Mr. Jefferson about college, noting that her new friends aren’t as great as Eliza. They agree that it’s good the town is demolishing the old school building where Eliza died. Margot asks to go up to Eliza’s room, where she picks through Eliza’s things, all left where they were when she died. In a drawer, Margot finds an envelope bearing an address in Fairfield, North Carolina, and it’s filled with money. Margot looks through the room for any hints about the money, including through Eliza’s planner, which has plans for dates Eliza never lived to see. One note is for Margot’s birthday and the move-in date for Hines Hall. Margot becomes frustrated, realizing that she’s still struggling to understand Eliza. She looks out Eliza’s window and sees Levi in his bedroom, sitting on his bed and talking to someone Margot can’t see. She’s surprised that Eliza had such a clear view of Levi’s room but notes that if Levi could watch Eliza, Eliza could watch Levi too. The person Levi is talking to moves into view: It’s Lucy. She kisses Levi.