“Everything in the room screamed that I didn’t belong. The stairs were crumbling, the rowdy patrons were shoulder to shoulder, and the air was a medley of sweat, blood, and mold.”

The opening line of the novel establishes the contrast between the type of world Abigail Abernathy believes she belongs to and the underworld she is exploring. Abby’s insistence that she is out of place at the fight club underscores her preoccupation with The Impact of Reputation and Image and proves her an unreliable narrator as her past emerges and she demonstrates an attraction to blood and violence.

“[Eastern] was a fresh start for me; I could finally walk somewhere without the whispers of those who knew—or thought they knew—anything about my past. I was as indistinguishable as any other wide-eyed, overachieving freshman on her way to class; no staring, no rumors, no pity or judgment. Only the illusion of what I wanted them to see: cashmered, no-nonsense Abby Abernathy.”

This passage hints at conflict in Abby’s past and her goal to start fresh at a place where she can shape her own image and reputation. Abby’s expressed dislike of being judged, noticed, or remarked on will prove at odds with her sense of pride when she is known as Travis Maddox’s preferred partner. She frequently takes note when people watch the two of them together—a tension that continues throughout the novel as Abby continues to build and refine her own thoughts and feelings on who she wants to be.

“He had never been known to stay with one girl longer than a night, so the more times we were seen together, the more people understood our platonic relationship for what it was. Even with the constant questions about our involvement, the stream of attention Travis received from his coeds didn’t recede.”

Abby’s friendship with Travis Maddox is part of the image she works to maintain early in the book, which conflicts with The Power of Physical Attraction between them.