The night of the Debs is approaching and the girls at school have organised a fundraising event. Marianne has been asked to help and is out of her comfort zone. At the club, one of Connell’s friends Karen does her best to show Marianne some kindness but Rachel behaves coldly towards her. The evening turns sour, when one of the boys’ older friends gropes Marianne. She leaves the club, upset by the incident and Connell offers her a lift home. Marianne stays over at Connell’s house and bumps into Lorraine as she leaves the next day. Connell becomes anxious when his friends tease him about Marianne, suspecting they’ve guessed about their relationship. Fuelled by anxiety, Connell makes an unexpected decision that hurts Marianne and causes a rift between him and his mother, Lorraine. Marianne withdraws from school, causing Connell intense guilt.