On the first day of school, Noel tries to talk to Aria and brag about how he scored goals at the lacrosse scrimmage the other day. She tries to blow him off, unimpressed. When she’d left school in eighth grade, everyone whispered about her as “part of the grief-stricken group of girls whose best friend freakishly vanished” (62). Now it feels like she’d never left. She keeps thinking she sees Ali everywhere. Noel continues to talk to her, and they find out they both have Mr. Fitz for English. Noel explains he’s a new teacher and was a Fulbright Scholar.

As they head to English, Aria sees Hanna in the doorway of the classroom, not recognizing her at first. She’s not sure how the situation will be with her old friends. Hanna first eyes her up and down and then smiles, giving her a friendly greeting. She’s with Mona, whom Aria barely recognizes either. She’s “even more glamorous than Hanna” (63). Aria takes a seat in the classroom, rocking back and forth “in full freak-out mode” (64). The one thing that makes her feel better is thinking about Ezra. She feels that they had a great connection that was more than just a bathroom hookup.