Character Analysis
At the beginning of the book Emily is a girl who—like Sophie—has betrayed Annabel. She's another model, and she's basically slipped in and taken Annabel's place as Sophie's Official Best Friend. It hurts Annabel's feelings, but at the same time she can understand what it's like to stand by idly while Sophie taunts others. Annabel assumes that Emily's just another girl who's looking for popularity—so she doesn't like her, but she doesn't exactly hate her either. She just chooses to ignore and avoid Emily and Sophie as much as she can.
However, she starts to see Emily in a different light after rumors start circulating that Emily's been raped by Will Cash as well. Instead of hiding it like a shameful secret (the way Annabel does), Emily goes straight to the police and turns him in. She holds her head up high while she's at school, even when Sophie tries to spread nasty rumors about her:
That Sophie was telling everyone that Emily had always been hot for Will, and when he wasn't interested, she cried rape. And that while Sophie was not at school today, Emily was. (15.51)
Ultimately Annabel comes to respect Emily for her willingness to stand up for what is right. Emily doesn't shy away or act like she has something to hide; she pursues justice and even convinces Annabel that she should testify to help convict Will. After the trial she continues to thrive despite the terrible rape. She and Annabel come to an understanding and respect each other more by the end:
As far as Emily and I went, we weren't exactly friends. But we both knew what we'd been through would link us forever, whether we liked it or not. Whenever we passed each other in the hallway now, we made a point of saying hello, even if that was all we said. (20.19)
Sometimes bonds form in unexpected ways, but it's always good to have people on your team—and that's something Emily helps Annabel understand.