Before I Fall
by Lauren Oliver
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Patrick Character Analysis

Lindsay’s on-again, off-again boyfriend. The two of them have broken up thirteen times in the span of one school year at the start of the novel—and it’s only February. Lindsay is hot and heavy with Patrick, and says that Patrick is her “first and only,” but in reality Lindsay lost her virginity under suspicious circumstances when visiting her stepbrother in New York City.

Patrick Quotes in Before I Fall

The Before I Fall quotes below are all either spoken by Patrick or refer to Patrick. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Fate vs. Agency Theme Icon
).

Chapter 2  Quotes

Lindsay, Ally, Elody and I are as close as you can be, but there are still some things we never talk about. For example, even though Lindsay says Patrick is her first and only, this isn’t technically true. Technically, her first was a guy she met at a party when she was visiting her stepbrother at NYU. They smoked pot, split a six-pack, and had sex, and he never knew she hadn’t done it before. We don’t talk about that. We don’t talk about the fact that we can never hang out at Elody’s house after five o’clock because her mother will be home, and drunk. We don’t talk about the fact that Ally never eats more than a quarter of what’s on her plate, even though she’s obsessed with cooking and watches the Food Network for hours on end. We don’t talk about the joke that for years trailed me down hallways, into classrooms, and on the bus, that wove its way into my dreams: “What’s red and white and weird all over? Sam Kingston!” And we definitely don’t talk about the fact that Lindsay was the one who made it up. A good friend keeps secrets for you. A best friend helps you keep your own secrets.

Related Characters: Samantha Kingston (speaker), Lindsay Edgecombe, Ally Harris, Elody, Patrick
Page Number and Citation: 106-107
Explanation and Analysis:
As Sam examines her relationships with her three best friends, she can’t help but remember the secret, hidden parts of their lives—the parts that no one talks about. The girls are best friends, which means their duty towards one another goes beyond protecting each other from their school, or the world—they must protect each other from their own selves, as well. Each girl harbors at least one major secret, one large shameful burden, and their group, tight-knit and in love with one another as they are, has an unspoken commitment to help one another push away the things they cannot Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut
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Patrick Character Timeline in Before I Fall

The timeline below shows where the character Patrick appears in Before I Fall. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1 
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
Cruelty and Loyalty in Friendship and Love Theme Icon
...through stop sign after stop sign, she muses aloud about how her on-again off-again boyfriend Patrick (with whom she’s broken up and gotten back together thirteen times since the start of... (full context)
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
...tells Sam that Elody is hooking up with her newest fling, Muffin, while Lindsay and Patrick are fighting. Sam laughs, noting that Ally always makes her feel better. The two of... (full context)
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
By the time Ally and Sam get to Lindsay and Patrick, the two of them have made up. Elody is hanging on “Muffin,” seemingly oblivious to... (full context)
Chapter 2 
Fate vs. Agency Theme Icon
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
...last night—Lindsay apologizes for not calling Sam back, as she was on the phone with Patrick until the early hours of the morning. Lindsay seems to have no recollection of the... (full context)
Fate vs. Agency Theme Icon
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
Rebirth, Renewal, and Redemption Theme Icon
...upstairs to the center of the action. Lindsay tells Sam she’s going off to find Patrick, but Sam doesn’t want to be alone, and asks to come with her. As the... (full context)
Chapter 4
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
Cruelty and Loyalty in Friendship and Love Theme Icon
Rebirth, Renewal, and Redemption Theme Icon
...the girls were done at the restaurant, they went to a party, where Lindsay kissed Patrick for the first time—months later, after she had sex with him for the first time,... (full context)
Chapter 6
Popularity, Status, and Social Capital Theme Icon
Cruelty and Loyalty in Friendship and Love Theme Icon
...around to find Lindsay, but can’t—she knows that Lindsay will have gone off to find Patrick. Sam knows that this means that Rob will be coming up to her soon, and... (full context)
Chapter 7
Fate vs. Agency Theme Icon
Rebirth, Renewal, and Redemption Theme Icon
...Range Rover. On the drive to school, as Lindsay complains to Sam and Elody about Patrick, Sam thinks of how much she loves her best friend “despite everything.” Sam savors the... (full context)