Tell Me Lies

Stephen visits his father in Bayville with Alice, Luke, and Kathleen, where they celebrate Stephen’s 23rd birthday. Stephen was recently accepted into law school at New York University, and his father, John, and Kathleen congratulate him. He is thankful for the opportunity, though he is still angry that his DUI ruined his chances of getting into an Ivy League school. However, he is thankful that he has not gotten into trouble for the accident. When he briefly goes into the kitchen with his father, John asks him about Diana and Lucy. Stephen has not contacted Diana since she left his life, and he tells his father that his fling with Lucy was casual. He says that he is with Alice now. As they eat, Alice talks about how kind Stephen’s father is, and Stephen tells her that John is depressed. She expresses sympathy. After eating cake, the two couples return to New York City.

Luke goes with Kathleen to her apartment, and Stephen and Alice have sex in Stephen’s apartment. He tells her that he loves her and wonders to himself what it would be like to mean it when he says it.

Over breakfast, CJ gets ready to get her hair done in preparation to attend Rand Petersen’s birthday party with Lucy’s father. Lucy asks if Gabe will be there, and CJ says that he likely will. She expresses sadness at Macy’s tragic death and reminds Lucy of her appointment with Dr. Wattenbarger, the psychiatrist she set up for Lucy. Lucy has been struggling emotionally with Stephen’s absence following the end of the school year. After she leaves, Lucy imagines CJ flirting with Gabe at the party. She angrily takes Marilyn’s jewelry collection from CJ’s closet. She takes the collection to a pawn shop, where she sells all the valuable items for $20,000 in cash. She then takes the remaining cheap costume jewelry and throws it into the East River. Lucy starts remembering moments from her childhood with her family and then decides to go to Saint Thomas Episcopal Church, where her family used to go when she was younger. There, she puts the $20,000 in the offering box and chooses to stay for the service, allowing herself to cry there. She then goes to her appointment with Dr. Wattenbarger, feeling better.

Stephen starts to get annoyed with Alice’s need for validation and constant closeness and finds her recent weight gain displeasing. He has begun cheating on her, having a one-night stand with a woman named Gabrielle at Luke’s bachelor party in August. After Geoff and a married Luke move out and the lease ends, Stephen moves into an apartment temporarily until he and Alice can move in together. He then attends Thanksgiving with her family in Pittsburgh. He finds the Edwardses’ sentimentality over their family and their simple lives pitiful, but he does his best to make a good impression. After he and Alice have sex in the shower, he compares Alice’s short legs to Lucy’s long ones and decides to text Lucy, wishing her a happy Thanksgiving. He waits for her text, but she does not reply.

Jackie notices that Lucy is in a better physical and mental state. Lucy worries that losing her journalism minor will prevent her from succeeding in journalism after college, but Jackie assures her that she can go to journalism school if she wants. They are on their way to a house party at Stuart’s house, and Jackie is somewhat nervous. On the way, Lucy recalls the beginning of her sessions with Dr. Wattenbarger in June. He diagnosed her with clinical depression and prescribed her Prozac, which she notices has helped clear her mind. He has also helped her with some of her eating issues and her issues with Stephen, telling her that his behaviors indicate that he is a sociopath and narcissist. This knowledge helps Lucy let him go, and she does not talk to him even after he sends her a text on Thanksgiving. Jackie grabs Lucy’s attention, and Lucy laments that she has not been a good friend to Jackie and the others, but Jackie points out her own moments of poor behavior with Stuart. At the party, they meet with Billy. Lucy finds herself drawn to Billy again and goes with him up to the house roof, where she is awed by the scenery. The two then kiss, which makes Lucy feel safe.

Stephen is on the train to meet his younger sister, Sadie, who wants to go to Baird for college and is going to see the campus. He also wants to get a break from Alice by visiting and having sex with Lucy. He texts Lucy about his trip to Baird with Sadie and tells her that he misses her. Stephen then meets Sadie at the station, and she drives them to the airport. They get on the plane, and he enjoys the flight, reflecting on having once been afraid to fly on airplanes before learning how they function. Understanding how things work comforts Stephen.

Lucy wakes up to see Billy getting ready. He tells her that he has a test and needs to do some last-minute studying with his friend Greg. Before he leaves, they set up a time to go to Bear Mountain with some of the other Baird students. Lucy finds that Billy has given her life stability. She has been doing more outdoor activities with him, encouraged by Jackie. Lucy is unsure of what to do with the knowledge that Stephen will be at Baird, having read his text message. She hears a knock at the door. She answers, and Stephen enters. When she asks how he knew where she lived, he says that Jared, a former Chops member, told him. Stephen says that he will be at Bear Mountain with Sadie and Jared, with whom he and Sadie are staying. They will also be attending a concert at Big Bear Lake, as will she, her friends, and Billy. She allows him to grab a to-go cup of coffee before asking him to leave. Though she is panicked at first, she soon becomes excited and decides to follow her heart, still being in love with Stephen.

Stephen enjoys Jared’s house at Big Bear Lake and the mountainous air and is happy that Lucy has finally responded to him after he found out where she was living. At the party, he sees Lucy, and Sadie meets her, immediately liking her. Wrigley then provides cocaine for the party. After Lucy goes with Billy to the concert, Wrigley and Stephen each take an ecstasy pill, and Stephen enters a euphoric state as he and Sadie join the other students at the concert. There, Lucy finds him. Stephen fingers her, causing her to orgasm. Then, Lucy goes back with Stephen and Sadie to Jared’s house. Sadie goes to bed, and Stephen convinces Lucy to have sex in the bed next to Sadie’s, as she is a heavy sleeper. After sex, Lucy is angry that Stephen seems to disregard Alice as a person while still dating and living with her. He then calls her out on her decision to sleep with him while dating Billy. Afterward, Stephen tries to calm her and convinces her to come with him to New York after graduation, telling her how much she means to him. Before they fall asleep, she tells him that he means a lot to her as well.