After using the bathroom, Charlie accidentally walks in on Patrick and the football quarterback, Brad, kissing, and Patrick asks Charlie to keep this secret because Brad is afraid of people finding out.

After the homecoming dance, Charlie rides with Patrick and Sam to a party, and as he sits between them listening to music on the radio, Charlie says that he feels “infinite.” Charlie is warmly welcomed at the party where he eats a cannabis brownie for the first time. Charlie assumes that Patrick and Sam are a couple, but they explain that they’re stepsiblings, and Charlie admits to developing a crush on Sam. During class the next week, Charlie ends up telling Bill about Charlie’s sister’s boyfriend hitting her, and Bill calls Charlie’s parents to inform them.Īt a football game, Charlie befriends Patrick (whose nickname is “Nothing”) and Sam, two seniors who invite him to Big Boy with them. She continues seeing this boy and makes Charlie promise not to tell anyone about the abuse. One night, when Charlie’s sister criticizes her boyfriend for not standing up for himself, he hits her in front of Charlie. His sister receives mix tapes from one boy in particular, but she gives them to Charlie, and he loves the music. Charlie’s sister is a senior at his school, and he feels bad for the boys who like her, claiming that she’s mean to them. He feels isolated at school, but one day in his Advanced English class, Charlie’s teacher asks Charlie to call him “ Bill” outside of class, praises his literary abilities, and gives him extra books to read. He explains that his brother taught him how to fight, so he ended up hurting the bully pretty badly and immediately started crying afterwards.

In the first few weeks of school, Charlie gets into a fight when a bully starts hitting him. Charlie then describes his family and explains that his Aunt Helen was his favorite person, and she came to live with his family before she died. Thinking about the reasons behind Michael’s suicide, Charlie wonders if Michael had “problems at home,” and then wonders if he, too, has problems at home.

His best friend Michael committed suicide at the end of the previous school year, and Charlie feels lonely and afraid starting high school without any friends. Writing a letter to an anonymous “Friend,” Charlie confesses that he needs someone to talk to.

Perks of being a wallflower the