On the first day of school, Ezra and Ellery bemoan the lack of diversity: Everyone looks like they belong in Children of the Corn, and Ezra worries that there aren’t any other out gay kids in school. When Ezra sees Mia, who has shaved hair and Doc Martens, he is determined to become her friend. Before he can do that, though, the twins are approached by Katrin, Brooke, and Viv, who invite them to sit at their table at lunch.

At lunch, Ellery is questioned by the girls, who haven’t met a new student in years. The girls are clearly popular—Brooke and Katrin are both cheerleaders, and their boyfriends both play football. Ellery notices that Viv seems to be lower status and pointedly doesn’t open up about not having a boyfriend. Viv perks up when they talk about Mr. Bowman’s death—she works for the school newspaper and is excited about the story. Brooke and Katrin want to talk about homecoming, as they’ll both be nominated, but Viv and Ellery have an animated discussion about the possibility of a killer being in town; Ellery realizes too late that her true-crime obsession has revealed that she isn’t suited to being one of the popular girls.