An Anonymous Girl: A Novel

Jessica makes her way to the diner on Dr. Shields’s instructions to get a man’s phone number. When she gets there, she sees the man she is supposed to meet but realizes it’s the same man she met at the accident and slept with the night before after they went out for drinks. Jessica is still confused and cannot pinpoint why Dr. Shields sent her to meet this specific man, but she knows something is wrong. She worries that Dr. Shields will be angry with her for messing up the assignment, but she already has Thomas’s number anyway. Thomas asks Jessica if she’s stalking him, and she awkwardly gets up to leave. She receives a text from Thomas soon after, warning her not to tell Dr. Shields anything and adding, “She’s dangerous. Watch yourself” (217).

A week before Christmas, Jessica meets with Dr. Shields to tell her what happened when she met Thomas. Jessica lies and says things went according to Dr. Shields’s plan, revealing nothing about already knowing Thomas. Dr. Shields directs Jessica to text Thomas and set up a date, but Thomas doesn’t reply because Jessica only pretends to send it. Dr. Shields notices that Jessica seems agitated compared to usual but doesn’t comment on it.