A Scatter Of Light

Tasha arrives in San Rafael on Wednesday morning. On the way to Woodacre, she requests that Aria stop by the In-N-Out for lunch. At the restaurant, Aria mentions the music festival coming up this weekend but refers to Steph only as “Joan’s gardener” (222). Tasha comments that Aria seems “out of it,” but Aria brushes it off. When they get ready for bed that night, Aria is hyper-aware of Tasha’s body next to hers and avoids further conversation by going to sleep.

The next morning, Aria takes Tasha to the beach. Over lunch, Tasha shares that she and Haley were in a secret relationship but broke up. In hindsight, Aria recognizes all the clues, and feels “stupid” for not seeing it sooner. Tasha explains that she had been hoping by graduation Haley would feel comfortable coming out and being public about their relationship but instead Haley insisted she was “confused” and could love Tasha only “as a friend” (226). Tasha worries that Aria thinks the situation is “weird,” but Aria reassures her that it’s not.

On Friday morning, Aria wakes up early and works on her painting in the studio but continues to feel self-conscious about it. When Steph arrives, Aria takes her to the studio to show her the painting.