Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Tell Me Three Things, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Blended Families
Intimacy and Growing Up
Wealth, Fitting In, and Bullying
Home
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
Ethan texts Jessie and asks if they can meet at the library on Friday to work on The Waste Land. He uses the expression “cool beans” and somehow makes it sound acceptable. Jessie wonders if she should try to keep texting him, but she reminds herself that there’s no chemistry between them and texts Scarlett instead. Scarlett complains about having to sit next to Deena and makes Jessie promise that she won’t like Dri better than her. Scarlett offers to punch Gem and Crystal and also asks about Dad, but Jessie says she’s not sure how he is—he’s always with Rachel. Scarlett then reveals that Adam Kravitz asked her to homecoming. Jessie gives her blessing and Scarlett confirms that “cool beans” will never be cool.
Jessie clearly has a crush on Ethan but doesn’t want to admit this to herself. Having a crush at all suggests that Jessie is starting to feel slightly more at home at Wood Valley, if only because it indicates that she now has a better understanding of her classmates. Meanwhile, Scarlett sharing that she’s going to homecoming with Adam makes it clear that back in Chicago, things are moving on without Jessie. Adam isn’t just Jessie’s first kissing partner; he’s now Scarlett’s date.
Themes
SN messages Jessie and compliments her on the hat she wore to cover the bruise Liam’s guitar gave her. He asks if he needs to beat someone up for Jessie, which makes Jessie feel good—he’s the second person today to offer to defend her. She offers that she thinks Scarlett and SN would get along and asks SN how his day was. He says that his mom having a hard time right now and they agree that everything is complicated. Then, they share their favorite words. SN’s is “why,” while Jessie’s is “waffle.” They agree that they should eat waffles together someday.
SN’s compliment makes Jessie feel seen in a way that no one else can right now. The thought that Scarlett and SN would get along helps Jessie feel more secure in her relationship with SN, as it makes her feel as though she doesn’t have to entirely give up her old life in order to make a new life that includes him. The conversation about eating together someday is a promise to elevate their relationship to an in-person one and increase their intimacy.
Themes
At lunch the next day, Jessie sits with Dri and Dri’s friend Agnes. Jessie thinks about how she fit in in the social hierarchy at home in Chicago (she was a “worker bee,” a middle-hierarchy smart kid who wasn’t an uncool nerd) and where she, Dri, and Agnes might fit in here. Jessie realizes she doesn’t care—sitting with anyone is better than sitting alone. Agnes and Dri passionately debate whether or not someone’s Instagram post was rude as Jessie admits to the reader that she thinks that all other girls are prettier than she is. Agnes interrupts and asks Jessie’s opinion. Since Jessie has no idea what they’re talking about, Jessie says that she guesses she agrees with Agnes. Privately, Jessie is sure she doesn’t—Agnes holds all manner of questionable beliefs.
Given that it’s cool at Wood Valley to be smart, it’s likely that the social hierarchy here is entirely different than it was in Chicago. However, Jessie recognizes that hierarchy doesn’t matter at all if she has people to weather it with. This is why she’s so ready to agree with Agnes, even if she’s not sure she honestly agrees. In order to earn Agnes’s trust and build on their budding friendship, she needs to make Agnes feel as though Jessie is worth spending time with—and at this point, that means that it’s a risk to disagree.
Themes
Dri calmly tells Agnes that some people are shy and communicate better in writing. When Dri looks to Jessie like she wants Jessie to back her up, Jessie wonders if she’s a problem for Dri and Agnes’s friendship. She knows that if Scarlett had invited the new girl to sit with them in Chicago, she wouldn’t have been happy. Jessie says that she communicates better in writing and considers mentioning SN, but she doesn’t want Dri and Agnes to figure out who he is—maybe her words flow better because she doesn’t know who SN is.
Jessie also recognizes that Dri is taking a huge risk by inviting her to hang out with her and Agnes. Adding a new person to the mix is difficult for everyone, as it might complicate Dri’s and Agnes’s dynamic, while Jessie has to contend with the fact that she’s still a bit of a third wheel. Jessie’s recognition that it can be easier to communicate in writing shows that intimacy in writing—like in her conversations with SN—is just as valid as close relationships that take place in person.
Themes
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Someone shouts Jessie’s name across the cafeteria and Liam jogs over with his guitar. Jessie banters with him and blushes—she knows she’s flirting, but she doesn’t want to flirt and doesn’t know how. He confirms that they’re on for work training and runs off. Dri squeals; she’s been in love with Liam for forever and loves his band, Orgasmville. She shares that Liam has never said one word until now. Agnes points out that Liam didn’t speak to Dri and mentions that Liam has a girlfriend, which makes Jessie wonder why Agnes is being so mean. Jessie always supported Scarlett’s questionable crushes. Dri mentions in passing that Liam is dating Gem, which shocks Jessie given how nasty Gem is and how nice Liam is. Dri hugs Jessie and says that Jessie is her favorite person. Agnes shoots Jessie a dirty look.
Even if Dri’s undying, unrealistic love for Liam reads as immature, Jessie still believes that it’s a friend’s duty to support a crush like this. Questioning Agnes’s behavior then becomes a way for Jessie to question how friendships might function differently here. Clearly, nice people become involved with outright mean ones, as evidenced by Liam and Gem’s relationship. Liam’s genuinely kind behavior toward Jessie, however, suggests that he’s not at all involved in that kind of bullying and possibly doesn’t know that side of Gem.
Themes
SN messages Jessie to ask about her day and they discuss whether college will be any better than high school. Jessie says that she loves Nutella. When SN asks if she eats it with a spoon, Jessie says she used to, but now she lives with “Others”—Rachel and Theo—and Dad wouldn’t let her label her jar. SN says that his parents are still together, but they barely look at each other. He says it’s complicated but assures Jessie that someday they’ll share more about themselves.
Though labeling one’s jar of Nutella may read as passive-aggressive in some situations, in this one, it would simply be a way for Jessie to feel some degree of ownership over the house. It would help her feel like she lives here and make her feel more secure, both things that she needs right now. Calling her stepfamily “Others” speaks to how alone and unmoored Jessie feels in this new family.
Themes
