Cather, who goes by “Cath,” arrives at her new dorm room with her father and her twin, Wren. Her roommate, Reagan, is often absent, and when she is there, she is often accompanied by a student named Levi, who Cath incorrectly assumes is Reagan’s boyfriend; they both make Cath nervous. Wren did not want to room with Cath, hoping to gain more independence. While Wren immediately makes friends with her roommate, Courtney, Cath experiences extreme anxiety when she thinks about meeting new people. She feels slightly better after putting up posters of her favorite Simon Snow characters, Simon and Baz. 

Wren and Courtney have dinner at a barbeque with their father. He is a single father and does not know how he will manage alone at the house. Alone in her room after dinner, Cath thinks about texting her high school boyfriend, Abel, but goes to sleep before texting him or updating her Simon Snow fanfiction, which has a large online following.

The chapter introduces interpolated excerpts from the Simon Snow books. A section from the first Simon Snow book depicts Simon meeting his new roommate at school, Baz.