In the wake of the funeral, Hugh’s parents separate themselves from Lizzie’s family. They side with Gibsie’s mother, which in turn means they also side with Keith and Mark.

When Hugh goes to visit Lizzie, her father confronts Hugh about the families’ new distance. Hugh insists that he sides with Lizzie no matter what his parents do.

Hugh finds Lizzie in her bed. She is awake but has been sedated. He holds her, and they talk about what happened.

Lizzie remembers more and more about Caoimhe’s death. She wonders if she is somehow wrong about what happened; all the doubts from others cause her to “doubt [her]self” (392).

Lizzie stays in her house for a month. Hugh visits her every day. He is going to keep trying until he gets her to venture outside.

After investigating Lizzie’s story—that Mark is responsible for Caoimhe’s death—the police find nothing to charge Mark with. As a result, Hugh finds himself caught in the middle of Lizzie and Gibsie’s versions of events. He promises to support them both, while worrying that Lizzie won’t get the support she needs as her parents grieve.

After the coroner’s report rules Caoimhe’s death a suicide, the police close their investigation. They believe Mark’s story and assume Lizzie made up her accusations. She is certain that this is because Gibsie won’t come forward to corroborate what she saw.

A few days later, Hugh is at Lizzie’s. She becomes enraged, throwing a piggy bank against the wall and breaking it as Hugh tries to comfort her. He has spent over a month with Lizzie, growing distant from his friends and teammates.

On June 9, Lizzie’s 12th birthday, Hugh gives her an ankle bracelet. It has several charms on it, including a buoy symbolizing his promise to keep her afloat. He convinces Lizzie to go for a walk outside.

One afternoon, Hugh gets home from school and hears his mother talking to Lizzie’s mother on the phone. Catherine cannot find Lizzie.

Hugh finds Lizzie sleeping by Caoimhe’s grave. He sits down next to her. He is not sure he will find a way to pull Lizzie out of her grief.

Lizzie asks Hugh about school. He is going to pass his exams then go to Tommen College (a private high school) in the fall. Although Lizzie is upset about being left behind, he assures her that when she turns 18 they can get married and move to Dublin.

One day after school, Mike thanks Hugh for everything Hugh has done for Lizzie. Mike apologizes for treating Hugh poorly after the funeral, but he realizes now that Hugh is nothing like his parents.

After graduation, Hugh and Gibsie talk about Lizzie. Hugh affirms his friendship with Gibsie, but Lizzie needs him more, so he plans to spend as much time as he can with her over the summer.

Hugh calls Lizzie; he got their parents to agree to let him sleep at Lizzie’s house for most of the summer. She is excited but also worries that Hugh will see her at her worst.

On the morning Hugh leaves for Lizzie’s house, he and his mother fight. She is nervous about him staying in Lizzie’s house—both because of their relationship and also because of the grief about Caoimhe’s death.

For five weeks, Hugh spends every night with Lizzie. She is grateful to have him by her side. Even when she has nightmares and can’t get out of bed, Hugh stays with her and supports her.

On August 30, the last night Hugh stays at Lizzie’s house, Hugh goes to sleep on the floor on a mattress. When Lizzie wakes with nightmares, he moves to her bed and holds her.

On their first day at Tommen, Gibsie and his friends are intimidated by the new school. They joke about all the girls, but Hugh ignores them, insisting he is only interested in Lizzie.

At her school, Lizzie is bitter that she is still in fifth year. She is annoyed by the curriculum, which is far too easy for her. However, she is glad that she gets to be in class with Shannon and Claire.

Over the next few months, Lizzie and Hugh swim together. After school, he picks Lizzie up and they bike to a nearby hotel pool where their parents are members. While swimming, Lizzie feels freedom she rarely feels anywhere else.

On New Year’s Eve, Hugh goes to Lizzie’s house instead of going out with his friends. It is their tradition to spend the night together and kiss at midnight.

Lizzie wakes up a few minutes before midnight. They kiss and wish each other a happy New Year. Lizzie then confesses that she remembers more about the night Caoimhe died. She is certain that Mark raped Caoimhe multiple times. Hugh promises her that he is going to do something about it.

The next day, Hugh talks to Lizzie’s parents about her memories.

A few days later, Lizzie is interviewed by a police officer. The officer asks Lizzie several questions about her home life. She insists that her parents have never harmed her and that she was never abused. When the officer asks if Caoimhe ever hurt Lizzie, Lizzie says no. The officer points out that Lizzie has hurt Caoimhe several times, and then brings up Lizzie’s bipolar disorder and the fact that she hears voices and sees imaginary people. The officer warns Lizzie about continuing to make false allegations. Gibsie’s mother and stepfather have filed complaints with the police, accusing Lizzie of defaming Gibsie and Mark.

A few months later, during Easter, Claire is upset that Gibsie went to Dublin with Johnny, the rugby transfer student. Hugh encourages her to reach out to Lizzie and become friends again, but Claire explains that Lizzie refuses to talk to her as she is angry about Claire’s relationship with Gibsie.

On Lizzie’s 13th birthday, Hugh gives her a new charm for her ankle bracelet: an infinity symbol. They kiss. Lizzie tries to get Hugh to do more sexual acts, but Hugh insists they aren’t ready yet. Lizzie is convinced that something was “stolen” from her and that she “need[s] him to put it back for [her]” (464) through physical touch.

A little over a year later, Hugh picks up Lizzie for Claire’s birthday. Lizzie is going to Hugh’s house for the first time in over two years.

Things go well at the party. Lizzie and Hugh hang out. Eventually, a group of people starts playing spin the bottle. When Pierce spins and it lands on Lizzie, he jokes about kissing her; however, Lizzie is adamant that she isn’t playing. She instead kisses Hugh.

Claire sees them kissing and yells at them. She scolds Lizzie for not being with her at all on her birthday. Lizzie apologizes, but when Gibsie comes over, Lizzie reacts angrily toward him, insisting that she is not his friend and that he hurt her sister.

Sinead gives Lizzie a ride home from the party. She apologizes and reassures Lizzie that she is always welcome in her house.

Hugh angrily goes to Claire’s room after Lizzie leaves. Claire apologizes profusely, insisting that she lost her temper and didn’t mean to upset Lizzie. Hugh tells her that she needs to try to understand what Lizzie is going through.

At the end of August, Lizzie sees a new therapist. All Lizzie can think about is that it has been 853 days since Caoimhe died—which means it has been that long that people have refused to believe her.

On Lizzie’s first day at Tommen, she walks in with Claire, who talks excitedly. When Claire greets Gibsie, Lizzie gets annoyed and walks away. Hugh pulls Lizzie into a nearby stairwell and kisses her.

Hugh talks with Feely and Johnny about his relationship with Lizzie. He is worried about Lizzie constantly trying to make their relationship more physical. He is interested in sex, but he also wants to be respectful.

Lizzie shows Hugh the old library at Tommen. It still has the original structure from the 1600s and hundreds of books. Students rarely use it, as there is a modern library in the basement. She then takes Hugh into a small room hidden in a corridor that was used as a safe room during a war. Lizzie kisses Hugh and encourages him to touch her, insisting that she is ready for more.

A few weeks later, Lizzie tries on different outfits for the disco. Hugh is reading, but she keeps distracting him by taking off her clothes.

Lizzie asks Hugh why they can’t have sex. Hugh assures her that he wants to, but also wants to respect her. They agree to wait another year and a half—until her 16th birthday.

Lizzie goes to Hugh’s house for his 15th birthday. Lizzie hangs out with Claire. When Claire asks to go see Gibsie, Lizzie relents, ignoring the anger inside her. She claims to have no problem with Claire being with Gibsie if Lizzie doesn’t have to talk about him.

Lizzie finds Hugh sitting in front of the fire with his grandfather, who encourages Hugh to drink whiskey. Lizzie joins them.

After having a few drinks, Hugh and Lizzie go up to his bedroom. He touches her body, the entire time asking her if she is alright. He realizes that he is hesitant because he keeps thinking of what Mark did to Caoimhe. However, Lizzie repeatedly assures him that she wants him to continue.

Just before Christmas, Hugh and Lizzie swim together. She kisses him deeply, encourages him to touch her, and tells him how much she wants to have sex with him.

On Christmas Day, Lizzie listens as her parents fight downstairs. Their relationship has been disintegrating, with holidays bringing out the worst in both of them.

One Friday night, Lizzie and Hugh sit with their friends in Hugh’s kitchen. Lizzie scratches her skin with her nails and bites the inside of her cheek, anxious at Gibsie’s presence. Hugh grabs her hands and traces the scars along her wrists.

During Easter break, Lizzie and Hugh study together. He takes a break, kissing Lizzie.

Hugh’s mother sits him down to talk about his relationship with Lizzie. She is relieved when Hugh assures her that they aren’t having sex and don’t plan to any time soon.

For Lizzie’s 15th birthday, she and Hugh go to the beach. They spend the day swimming, then eat ice cream together on the pier.

After Hugh finishes his junior cert exams, he is officially done for the summer. He, Lizzie, and their friends make plans to go to a disco in town.

That night, Lizzie dresses up for the disco. She is adamant that she is going to have a good time with Hugh, ignoring her increasing stress and anxiety.

As Lizzie watches Claire dance with Gibsie, she thinks of how happy Gibsie makes her friend. She is sad that she will one day lose Claire—Lizzie will not be able to be Claire’s friend after she officially becomes Gibsie’s girlfriend.

Hugh, Gibsie, Lizzie, and Claire go to a house party to celebrate the end of the summer. They drink alcohol and sit outside on the patio together. Hugh thinks of everything he has been through with Lizzie and how excited he is for the next year with her.

Lizzie and Hugh kiss each other and go into a bathroom together. She asks him to have sex with her. He agrees, but then realizes that he doesn’t have a condom. The thought sobers him, as he insists that he wants to be with her for the first time properly—not in a bathroom at a house party.

The next night, Hugh and Lizzie talk about having penetrative sex. They agree to move the date forward to Hugh’s birthday in two months.

On their last weekend before school starts, Lizzie and Hugh go to the pool. She thinks about school. She is sad that the summer is ending but excited to start seeing Hugh every day.