The narrator imagines Scheherazade at the end of the thousand and one nights of storytelling, with the king about to attack. Scheherazade knows the king’s weaknesses and overpowers him, and the narrator proposes that she can either spare him or kill him. If she kills him, she can take his crown.

Lying in bed with Jamie, Shay feels a buildup of tension. Jamie can sense it as well, and Shay notes how her sexual relationship with Jamie has been easier and more natural than her previous relationships, including her marriage to Cal. Shay says she is on the verge of some kind of breakdown, and Jamie asks if it is like during their senior year of high school. Shay confirms that it is, and Jamie asks what happened in high school that led to Shay’s title as valedictorian being taken away. Shay decides to tell Jamie the story and reaches for his phone to do another interview.

This chapter is a transcript of Jamie’s podcast, Transgressions, episode 705, in which Jamie interviews Shay. Shay and Jamie talk about their senior year, during which Shay became popular, receiving the title of Prom Queen. The star football player of their class was Anderson Thomas, who asked Shay to be his date to prom.